Making Amends
by Indigo Siren
Summary: Uriko is no stranger to trouble. Lately, she's been causing a heck of a lot of problems that she needs to make up for. And with Alice's 'Birthday Curse' in the air, will our favourite catgirl be able to avoid trouble?
1. Part 1

Making Amends  
  
By Indigo Siren  
  
Disclaimer: Bloody Roar is copyright to Hudson Soft and my using of the characters and any game plot within this story are clearly for entertainment purposes only and are in no way being used to make money. I do however have rights to my idea of the story. All rights reserved.  
  
A/N: My first go at a Bloody Roar story. I'm not absolutely 100% with the official storyline, but I'm going on what I've found out and decided for myself. If it is wrong, then it is wrong. Also, please don't complain on my choosing of pairings. Actually, I've gone with pairings that other authors have used. Hope you like the story. It is set after Bloody Roar 3, just so you know the timeline. (Am confused about Primal Fury/Extreme)  
  
Finally, no flames. If you don't like, don't review.  
  
***  
  
Part 1  
  
The impact of his punch had enough force behind it to send her flying across the hard wood floor. She'd never thought he'd be so merciless with her…  
  
"No, no, no…" The teacher shook his head gravely at his student. "You are doing it incorrectly. You are dropping your guard at the wrong time; you are making it plainly obvious to your opponent that you are relying on an offensive tactic."  
  
The young girl clambered back to her feet and bowed, wincing slightly as her bruised body reacted painfully to every little movement. "I'm sorry, Master Long."  
  
The Kenpo Master sighed inwardly. Why on Earth he'd agreed to take Uriko back on as his student, he'd never truly figure out, but after the incident with Xion and the tabula, he'd been compelled to see that his student brushed up her fighting art. Her form was a rough yet effective version of his own, but it lacked validity and timing when it came to some of her movements. Also, he'd found a weakness in her defensive arsenal, though, it didn't seem to be too much of a weakness when she took into the offensive. She was fast and forever shifting between high and low pokes.  
  
Still, she had much to learn…  
  
"Can we rest now?" The young girl whined tiredly. "We've been doing this for hours."  
  
Turning to the clock, he saw that indeed they'd been practising for most of the afternoon. Hours had seemingly gone by in seconds with them both being deeply involved with their training.  
  
"Yes, I think it is wise for us to stop for a short while. Would you care for a drink?"  
  
She nodded feverishly. "Yes please, Master Long. Just water, thank you."  
  
Her teacher disappeared from the room into the small kitchen area of his apartment home. Uriko was glad that he now lived so close to her and the others. It had been some sort of agreement that everyone was to live quite close together, in case anything else was to happen. She'd heard Gado say it was for security reasons at that moment in time, with the Humans being so tedious with the Zoanthropes. It made her wonder somedays if the world wasn't just going to implode on itself if all the fighting didn't stop, even with all the peace preaching that went on.  
  
Whatever the case, everyone being close in unity, like a pack, felt pretty assuring to the fourteen year old. She lay back with a sigh, noting that the hard floor wasn't doing her bruised body any justice. Well, as they say, what didn't kill you always made you stronger, so, she was going to grin and bear it, all for the sake of her learning.  
  
Uriko hummed lightly, staring up at the white wash ceiling, blatantly taking note that Long had returned to the room, setting down her drink on the coffee table he'd moved from the centre of the room. They'd moved things about his lounge, to clear way while they practised, since it was the biggest space in the whole apartment. It hadn't been too hard since he didn't have many belongings anyway. Long had never been one to buy in needless things, and most of the modern conveniences that Uriko loved and relied on, didn't seem to exist to him. It had taken her a lot of persuasion to even get a TV in the place, and even then it just sat collecting dust in the corner. Long pretty much proved that his life as a hermit wasn't going to just dissolve since rejoining civilisation.  
  
Uriko sat up on hands and knees and crawled over to the table to collect her drink. "Thank you."  
  
Long dragged a stool away from the side and took a seat, sipping away at his hot brewed tea, while Uriko shuffled forward to sit cross-legged in front of him.  
  
"I hope that you are not using these lessons as an excuse to avoid your homework responsibilities," he said, considering the fact that most of her Sundays were preoccupied with training with him.  
  
"Oh no! I make sure to get it done. Mother wouldn't let me come if she thought that I was trying to skip my studies," Uriko told him, shifting to a more comfortable position on the hard flooring. "Still, she isn't always so keen for me to be fighting anyway."  
  
"I haven't made your mother unhappy with me, have I?" Long asked light-heartedly.  
  
Uriko giggled, carefully lapsing back so her drink didn't spill all over her. "No, of course not. I keep telling her that it's for my own good. Though, I do think she wants to sock you one for returning me home with multiple bruises."  
  
"The day you go home without a bruise will be the day you no longer require me as your teacher."  
  
Uriko snorted. "Like that will ever happen."  
  
"Practice makes perfect. And in the meantime, as long as you don't neglect your studies, everything will be alright," he pointed out.  
  
"You don't have to worry about anything with my school work. I'm doing fine…" She assured.  
  
"… With young Kenji's assistance." He clearly noticed his student's cheeks turn bright pink at the mentioning of the boy's name, which brought a smile to his face. "Yes, I believe he's been very helpful to you as of late."  
  
"Yeah, he has," she said softly.  
  
"Yugo and Alice informed me that you both were meeting up for many study sessions," he pushed on, not normally the one to be so teasing with an implying situation, but around his student, he always felt a bit more free with the way he spoke to her.  
  
"Well, uh, what about you and Shina, Master. She helps out around here an awful lot, doesn't she?" Uriko reversed back to a surprised and now glowing Long.  
  
"Jane and I are good friends, nothing more…"  
  
"So you say…" Uriko couldn't help but grin to add to things.  
  
"I am very grateful for Jane helping out around here. It grows lonely at times, and I can assure you that there is nothing going on…"  
  
She put her hands up in defeat, not wanting to get him going. "I believe you, Master."  
  
The Kenpo teacher silently went back to sipping his tea. Uriko sat back up to finish her water off, feeling slightly out of place all of a sudden. After what seemed like forever in silence, Uriko struck up into conversation again.  
  
"Master? What work do you do while I go to school? I've always been curious and I keep forgetting to ask. I mean, if you don't want to say…"  
  
"I work in a library. I never thought that it would be a place I'd ever end up. Hard to believe, isn't it?"  
  
"Actually… it's not," she admitted. "You're quiet… and libraries are quiet. You match each other."  
  
He chuckled. "I suppose so. After everything I've ever done in my life, I think it is the best place for me to reside."  
  
"Master Long, the greatest Kenpo teacher in the whole world, now a local librarian…" Uriko beamed. "Doesn't sound right, but it most definitely fits the profile!"  
  
Long hid his flattered face. "Yes, well…" He decided to steer the subject, putting down his now empty teacup. "What do you wish to do when you leave school, Uriko?"  
  
That seemed to stop her dead as she was grasped by the thought of a life beyond education.  
  
"Oh, well, I never really thought about it. I'm not really good at anything…"  
  
"Nonsense," Long interjected. "You are a smart and skilful young woman. I'm certain you can do a lot of things if you put your mind to it."  
  
"Well, I'm a good fighter, I know that for sure," she said, hopping up and bounding about the floor space with a kick or two. "But fighting isn't exactly a career unless you become a soldier or something. Me! A soldier! Running around with an armoury of weapons and kicking butt along the way! Danger knows no name like mine!"  
  
"You should not use your skills to unlawfully hurt others. And the worst you could do is to hold a career that gives you jurisdiction to combat or use weaponry pointlessly."  
  
"I don't think I'd be cut out to be anything close to a mercenary," Uriko admitted.  
  
Long didn't seem to respond to that, only give her somewhat of a scowl.  
  
Uriko steered off from this, now instead putting her arms out in front of her as she pictured a future version of herself, trying to outwardly describe it.   
  
"Nope, not me! I'm going to be a quiet girl. Besides being able to fight as well."   
  
"You will find your one true calling, Uriko," Long convinced her. "And as long as you don't decide to take up demolition work, I think we will all sleep well in the future."  
  
Uriko huffed. "Thank you for your support!"  
  
Long chuckled and stood. "You are very welcome. Now, let's move everything back to where it was. It's about time I saw you home safely."  
  
Uriko looked up at the clock and squeaked. "Almost six! Time really does fly! Dinner will be ready soon!"  
  
The pair dispatched across the room, carefully pulling back all the chairs and the tables into their rightful places, setting everything the way it was before. As Uriko was putting a chair back against the far wall of the room, she accidentally nudged a cloth-covered case in the corner. Suddenly intrigued by what he Master had got under there, she decided to take a peak, lifting the corner off to see through the glass casing around the object inside.  
  
She gasped, surprised at the object she saw.  
  
'A staff!' She thought, quite astonished to actually find a weapon of some sort in Long's apartment. She'd always thought he'd been so opposed to keeping weapons.  
  
"It was a present from a teacher back in China." Uriko nearly jumped out of her skin, realising that Long was standing right behind her. "He too never believed weapons could resolve anything. He believed they were a hindrance and made people weak and reliant on something that lacked insuring protection. We only ever used it once in training, and then he gave it to me as a present before I came here, for taking care of his daughter, Lanfa."  
  
It was the most decorative weapon she'd ever seen. It was barely even worn in, showing of a nice polish like sheen on the wood. Over that it was patterned with gold paint, with a picture of a phoenix and a dragon intertwining up to each end, where each was cut off at the parts bound tightly in rope.  
  
"It's been kept in good condition. My teacher notified me of it's history; a family heirloom. I was surprised he'd contemplated giving it to me, and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. So here it sits, under my care now," Long explained to her.  
  
Uriko, now aflame with the whole idea of weapons, was now inclined to touch it. "Can I…"  
  
"No, Uriko," he said, shaking his head. "It is to stay safely contained."  
  
"But I'd be really careful," she pleaded. "I just want to have a better look at it."  
  
"I want to keep it in the same condition, Uriko, I'm sorry," he said, a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, arguing isn't going to get you back home any faster now is it? We don't want to upset your mother if I return you late."  
  
"Oh, okay…" Uriko relented and went to gather her things, only glimpsing back to watch Long recover the case.  
  
***  
  
"Come in, come in!" Mitsuko ushered her adopted daughter and the Ohgami brothers' in. "I see you've brought more things around for the party next Wednesday."  
  
Alice bounced in, all bright eyed as she carried a box of decorations. "I want my birthday to just feel special. I'm so happy that you're hosting it here for me. You're cooking is the best!"  
  
Mitsuko hugged her daughter with pride. "I only want the best for you, my little rabbit. Oh, well, not so little anymore. Twenty three candles on your lovely birthday cake this year."  
  
Yugo took Alice's box and stacked it on his own, setting it aside with all the other boxes meant for her birthday. "Excited, Ally? Not long left of being twenty-two…"  
  
"Of course! Going to miss being twenty-two, but at least I can say I've done it," Alice said with a giggle. She turned to help a struggling Kenji with the boxes he was carrying. "Here, I'll take that." She grabbed the top box, lightening the load.  
  
"Thanks, Alice," the mole Zoanthrope appreciated. "My arms were about ready to drop off. Yugo left me carrying all the heavy stuff all the way here."  
  
Alice turned sharply to her boyfriend. "Yugo Ohgami, that was a mean thing to do!"  
  
The mentioned boy gave her a goofy smile. "I know, I'm sorry."  
  
Alice shoved the box forcefully pushed the box against him, winding him. "Here, take this."  
  
Kenji went and sat his box on top of the one Alice gave to Yugo. The wolf Zoanthrope winced and gave a sigh, going to stack the last of the boxes.  
  
Mitsuko went back towards the kitchen. "Well, since you're all here, I insist you stop for dinner. It shouldn't be long."  
  
"That's fine with us," Alice confirmed between them and went to take a seat on the couch, glad to finally sit down. Yugo went to join her, while Kenji remained standing.  
  
"Where's Uriko?" Kenji inquired, noticing that the young girl had not come to join them on their arrival.  
  
"Oh, I think she'll be coming back from Long's soon," Alice answered. "That's where she usually is most of her Sundays."  
  
"That's right," Mitsuko shouted from the kitchen after overhearing.  
  
It was just then the door flew open and in bounded the young lady in question. She turned wide-eyed in seeing her sister and the others.  
  
"Speak of the devil," Yugo said. "How's everybody's favourite kitten doing?"  
  
Uriko stuck her tongue out at him as she removed her coat, vaulting pretty much into the room to give her big sister a cuddle. "I'm feeling as good as ever! It's so cool to see you!"  
  
Yugo laughed, pulling at the tightly enveloping arm of Uriko's. "Calm down, I think you're killing your sister!"  
  
Uriko relented, only to bop Yugo over the head though.  
  
Alice gave Uriko just as much of a squeeze in return. "I'm happy to see you too."  
  
Uriko giggled like mad; she always acted this crazy when her sister and the others turned up. Now that she had given Alice her hug, she decided to give Kenji a good greeting too and practically leapt into his arms, nearly toppling the poor boy.  
  
"Woah! Uriko, careful now!" He said, managing to pry the girl out of his arms, but she wouldn't remove herself from the hug.  
  
"Spoil sport," she teased him and let go, turning back to her sister. "Are you stopping over for dinner, I could ask if you could?"  
  
"Already sorted. Your mother asked us before," Yugo informed her, settling back with an arm around his girlfriend.  
  
It was then that Mitsuko peered round the door to spy that her daughter was home.  
  
"Uriko, please wash up now, dinner is being put on the table," her mother said to her.  
  
The young girl bounded up to her parent and gave her a quick hug. "Yes, mother." And she quickly disappeared upstairs to the bathroom.  
  
The others took to sitting around the large, set table in the dining room opposite. Yugo and Alice sat one side with Kenji facing his brother on the other, leaving space next to him for Uriko. Mitsuko pushed herself a chair up to the head of the table on the sides of Alice and Uriko's seats. After that, she began to bring through the bowls of food to set out on the table so they could choose what they wanted.  
  
"This looks delicious, Mrs Nonomura," Kenji complimented.  
  
"Why thank you, Kenji. I hope you're find it just as delicious as it looks." She turned to her daughter as she bounded into the room promptly. "Ah, Uriko, take a seat."  
  
"Mother, it looks fantastic. You always make so much!" Uriko slid into her seat, rubbing her hands in anticipation to eat.  
  
"You never know who might appear for dinner," she said with chuckle. "I always have intuition about these things." She took her seat now that everything was set out. "Feel free to tuck in."  
  
Yugo whooped and headed straight for the meat tray. Alice shook her head, slightly embarrassed because of him and dished herself out some vegetables.  
  
With everyone finally filling their plates up and setting into their meals, the conversation once again began to pick up.  
  
"So, are you looking forward to next Wednesday, Alice?" Uriko asked. "It's not really a big party but still, it should be nice with seeing everyone again."  
  
"Yes, I am… but I have this feeling…"  
  
Mitsuko raised a brow to this. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, if you haven't noticed, my birthdays never turn out the way they are suppose to. Always something goes wrong." Alice sighed and began to go through her recall of past events. "I mean, last year we had that power cut and that caused my friend Toa to have a panic attack for some strange reason and she accidentally pushed Uriko onto the snack table…"  
  
Uriko groaned. "I remember that. I got a mini sausage lodged in my ear!" She sunk into her chair as the group erupted with laughter.  
  
"And the year before that, the catering people got the food mixed up and we ended up with a whole wedding set up and a very unhappy pair of newly weds," Alice continued. "Oh, and the year before that, the incident with the flooding. I don't know whose bright idea it was to put a ball down the U-bend but the toilet made a right mess and the water damage to the ceiling was pretty pricey."  
  
"And these all ironically happened on your birthday?" Yugo concluded.  
  
Alice gave a nod. "Yeah, pretty much. It's like I have this stroke of bad luck."  
  
Mitsuko laughed. "Oh don't be silly. It's just these things happen."  
  
"Well, don't be surprised if something happens to ruin the day," Alice warned.  
  
Uriko giggled. "Well, we'll have to keep you wrapped in lucky charms for the day."  
  
"You'd better not give me a rabbits foot," Alice said, giving her sister a mock glare.  
  
She responded by sticking her tongue out. "Wouldn't dream of it. Don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will be fine!"  
  
But of course, with Uriko saying this, Alice started to feel even more worried. Most likely she'd end up eating her words come next Wednesday.  
  
***  
  
Uriko was glad to hear the final bell of the school day ring. The freedom she felt the minute she leapt out the main doors was astounding and she bounded about like she was on a sugar high. Maeko, one of her closest friends, followed her out close suit, not quite as over enthusiastic about the escape to freedom, even though she was pretty happy about it.  
  
"Calm down, Uriko," Maeko said. "No need to go over the top!"  
  
Uriko turned around with a hop and grinned at her friend. "You don't understand how happy I am! School is out and we can go home and relax!"  
  
"After doing the piles and piles of homework," Maeko said with a sigh.  
  
Uriko took the girls shoulders and gave her a big hug. "No worries about it! Won't take too much time out of our lives to do!"  
  
"Your excitement will fade once we have to go back into school tomorrow," she pointed out.  
  
Uriko pulled back and folded her arms with a huff, a pout formed so childishly. "Oh pooh, you had to ruin the moment!"  
  
Maeko winked. "Anytime you need me to, I will!"  
  
Kenji appeared behind Uriko unexpectedly. "Still meeting at yours to study around seven?"  
  
Uriko jumped, hand clutching to her chest dramatically as she turned with a grin to her close companion.  
  
Maeko giggled. "And here's Kenji, always making a powerful entrance."   
  
Uriko laughed at her friend's comment and turned back to Kenji. "Yeah, that's right. Yugo and Alice will be about, right?"  
  
"They are still sorting out all the birthday food plans with your mother," he told her.  
  
"Not long to go!" Uriko cheered. "Then my big sister is twenty three. It will be such a cool party."  
  
"We can all hope so, and pray for Alice's sake that the birthday curse doesn't strike again," he said, smirking at such a ridiculous idea.  
  
"You don't actually believe it, do you?" Uriko questioned, giving him a prod.  
  
Kenji batted her hand away. "Of course not! It's all coincidental!"  
  
"That's right!" Uriko insisted. "And nothing more!"  
  
Kenji gave a nod and turned away. "I'll see you later. Goodbye for now!"  
  
"Bye," Maeko and Uriko said together.  
  
The former girl was in awe. "He's so handsome and he really has a close connection to you."  
  
Uriko blushed. "You think so?"  
  
"I know so."   
  
Jiro and Hiroshi, two boys from Uriko's class came towards the pair. They were quite close friends to the girls but somehow they seemed to get on their nerves more then anything.  
  
"Hello beautiful ladies!" Jiro said, being the more boisterous of the two guys; he slung his arms of Uriko and Maeko's shoulders, only to be nearly pushed down by the pair. "Oh calm down you lascivious vixens."  
  
"When did you learn such a big word?" Maeko teased.  
  
"Ever since he brought himself an easy read dictionary," Hiroshi said, earning himself a punch on the shoulder from his friend. "So, what did you girls think about the test in history?"  
  
"The one on 'the weapons of war'?" Uriko asked and blew out a sigh. "It was hard and pointless. Why do we need to learn about it anyway?"  
  
"To keep our attention for more then two minutes in a lesson," Maeko said.  
  
"I think it's such a cool topic. Learning about guns and stuff," Jiro put in.  
  
"Yeah well, do you think in the future we'll really need the knowledge to tell the difference between a musket and a shotgun?" Uriko asked and shook her head. "So pointless!"  
  
"Well, I guess that learning of war and all the little aspects leads us to not make the same mistakes of the past," Hiroshi dictated, earning himself some raised eyebrows from the others.  
  
"That could be a close definition," Maeko confirmed, slightly unsure.  
  
"Just think, before guns they had bows and arrows and silly sticks to poke people with," Jiro said almost mortified at such a thought. "What kind of fights did they have back then?"  
  
"Honourable ones," Uriko put in.  
  
"Yes, oh mistress of Kenpo," Jiro teased. "You'd know that, wouldn't you?"  
  
Uriko swatted at him, narrowly missing. "I'm just saying! You always poke fun at me actually learning to fight. I tell you it's done me a lot of favours to be able to defend myself." She crossed her arms. "And besides, guns aren't everything. If you were a bit slow in the head, you wouldn't be able to instantly work a gun to your advantage, while with a staff, anyone could throw that around and knock someone out."  
  
"Logical," Hiroshi agreed.  
  
"Yeah, well, I guess," Jiro said, voice dropping in defeat.  
  
"My Master Long has a staff given to him by his teacher. It's really pretty and looks really deadly too. But he says weapons aren't everything. They hinder more then help in most cases," Uriko went on proudly.  
  
Jiro's eyes seemed to light up. "He has a staff? One of those REALLY old ones?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd say so. Could have been used for a weapon a long time ago, though, it's barely shown ware," she informed him.  
  
Jiro carefully put his arm around Uriko's shoulders, giving her very urging eyes. "It would be cool if we could see it. Maybe some use to use for our educational purposes."  
  
Maeko shook her head. "I see where this is going…"  
  
Uriko pushed him off. "No. I can't show you. I'm forbidden to touch it and I won't disobey my Master."  
  
Jiro snorted. "You're such a goody-two-shoes. It's not like you're going to be smashing it around. We only want to take a gander at it."  
  
Uriko rubbed her arm, trying to cook up more excuses. "I dunno, I can't… it would be wrong…"  
  
"You're just chicken," Jiro jeered.  
  
Maeko frowned at the boy. "Jiro, don't start."  
  
"I'm not a chicken!" Uriko snapped defensively.  
  
Hiroshi came between the two, feeling something would start if he didn't. "Now come on, lets just forget about it."  
  
"Uriko the chicken! Buck, buck, buck!"  
  
Maeko put a hand on Uriko's shoulder, fearing the girl was close to snapping. "Don't let him goad you."  
  
Hiroshi turned a scornful glare on his friend but said nothing.  
  
"You don't have to be such a weed, Uriko," Jiro pushed on. "We just want to look. What? Is one touch going to have you all in big trouble."  
  
Uriko just said nothing, crossing her arms.  
  
It was then Jiro's imitation teasing of her that really started to make her crack.  
  
"Oh master, I breathed on your oh so wonderful staff, oh please don't beat me!" He said, doing a rather bad rendition of her voice.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Uriko screeched and stomped up to him, voice lowered. "Fine, I'll show you."  
  
"Uriko…" Maeko worriedly spoke.  
  
The aforementioned girl shook her head. "No, it's alright. It will also kill my curiosity over it."  
  
Jiro smirked. "Alright then. After you, Madame."  
  
Uriko lead them off, all the while thinking. 'I hope curiosity doesn't kill the cat… or at least get it into big trouble…'  
  
***  
  
"Why am I doing this again?" Uriko mumbled, staring up at the front window of her Master's apartment. She turned to look at Jiro, giving him a sharp glance, though he countered it with a simple smile.  
  
'I should have taken the name-calling and gone on with me life. But no, had to be stupid…'  
  
"So, it's in there," Jiro stated. "How you going to get in?"  
  
"Through the window, fool," Uriko snapped. "I'm not exactly going to use the door, am I?"  
  
"Is he in?" Jiro asked, following the girl up the window, both peering in.  
  
"I don't know. He might have gone out to pick up some food. He does usually on a Monday," she answered.  
  
"Well, go on then, go have a look and see if you can get the staff," Jiro urged.  
  
Uriko sighed, gave a slight push back to step away from the window. She rubbed her hands together as she hopped up onto the narrow ledge and pushed on the jarred side window, watching it open with ease. She looked back at a smirking Jiro, then over his shoulder to just down the street where Maeko and Hiroshi stood watching from afar. She gave a slight nod and went inside.  
  
'This is wrong,' she kept telling herself as she tiptoed across the lounge. She made a quick peek into the kitchen and then out into the hall, listening.  
  
No, her Master Long was out… for now.  
  
"Go on, Uriko," she heard Jiro whisper in a hiss from the window. She just waved a hand at him, ignoring him as she went further into the room, more precisely, towards the back wall where she knew the case was covered. With a light tug, the covering slipped off, revealing the encased weapon to her in all its glory. She was in awe once again, but instantly shook it off when hearing Jiro's inquiring voice about her finding.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, give me a second," Uriko growled, kneeling down to unhitch the latch on the side, opening the front.  
  
Her first reactions of the feel of the weapon in her hands were that of shock and surprise. It was much lighter then it looked and it felt like it had become an extension of herself. It was just simply amazing.  
  
Wasting little time to hang around, she bounded back and out the window, now presenting the staff to show to Jiro, who too was amazed by it.  
  
"Guns can never be as artistic as that without a good dose of spray paint," he said. "Come on, let's show the others."  
  
Uriko would have protested going off with the staff, but Jiro was already dragging her down the street. She could have easily stopped him in his tracks, since she had her Zoanthrope strength on her side; but then again, she did want to show Maeko especially this staff. What harm could it do?  
  
Maeko and Hiroshi stood with their backs to a wall of an small alley at the end of the street, partly embarrassed and worried that they were partly involved in this stupid operation. They were both surprised to see their friends return, weapon in hand.  
  
"I thought you were only going to look?" Hiroshi said.  
  
"Yeah, and I thought you'd want to see too," Jiro answered, turning to Uriko. "Can I hold it?"  
  
She hesitated. She gone this far, maybe she could trust him to be careful. "Okay."  
  
It was nerve shattering to let the weapon slip into his hand. Jiro was so taken by it, weighing it up.  
  
"Now this is fantastic. A great weapon of war… but I guess guns are the better killer," he said.  
  
"It's not all about killing, Jiro," Maeko scolded him on such a notion. "Now lets just put it back and forget this ever happened. We'll get into trouble. Actually, Uriko will most likely have the blame on her."  
  
"Yeah, Jiro, hand it over, I have to but it back before Master Long gets home," Uriko told him firmly.  
  
The boy backed off a pace. "Give me a minute." He was beginning to swing it lightly in a batting motion.  
  
"Stop playing around!" Uriko snapped and made a grab from the staff, managing to take an end.  
  
"Hey! Come on!" Jiro protested.  
  
"No more!" Uriko pulled the staff from his hands sharply. In this process, it snapped around in her grip, the end of it bumping against a metal dumpster to the side of her.  
  
A crack was heard loud, with many cringes following.  
  
Uriko turned in horror, screeching in dismay to see the end hanging by a few threads of wood.  
  
"Oh… no," Maeko muttered. "I knew this would happen."  
  
"NO!" Uriko yelled, almost collapsing, her face turning full on to Jiro. "Look what you've done!"  
  
"Not my fault, you're the one who snatched it off me!" Jiro said defensively.  
  
Uriko literally ran circles, pressing the broken end of the staff back together. "Oh no! What am I going to do?"  
  
"Put it back!" Jiro yelled. "He'll never notice!"  
  
"It's broke, you idiot! Of course he'll notice!" Uriko screamed at him.  
  
Jiro shrugged. "Glue it then!"  
  
"You're so insensitive," Maeko scolded.  
  
Uriko stammered incoherently, trying to decide what to do, staring down in horror at the poor broken staff. She inwardly came to a decision and was suddenly running back towards her Master's dwelling, realising she had very little time left. She heard her friends following her, calling out in confusion to what she was doing.  
  
With a swift bound up on the window ledge, she was suddenly slipping back into the lounge again, closing the distance quickly towards the small kitchen area.  
  
"Uriko? What are you doing?" She could hear Maeko calling in to her.  
  
"Glue, glue, glue," she kept repeating over and over in her search, taking Jiro's idea literally. It was her only option. Master Long would surely have her head if he discovered what she'd done.  
  
'I'm so irresponsible!' She screamed inside. She gave a slight, half-hearted sigh as she came across a very small tube of glue hiding in an oddment draw. She went back into the living room, supported the staff together under her arm and fumbling with the fiddly top on the tube.  
  
"Hey, I had a good idea," Jiro said, noticing the glue tube.  
  
"Shut up," Uriko lowly hissed towards him, finally getting the top off.  
  
"Careful, Uriko," Maeko said worriedly, watching her friend now knelt, trying to use a steady hand to apply the glue. It was proving a heavy task, as her hands were shaking erratically. Making a bit of a mess, she finally had the glue where she wanted it. She dumped down the tube on the coffee table and used her fingers to wipe the excess off and hold the staff firmly together as she stumbled back over to the case, setting it carefully in. She shut it quickly and recovered, making an exit in record time.  
  
It wasn't long before the four of them were bolting it down the street, heading towards the local recreation ground.  
  
Hiroshi was the first collapse. "That did not just happen…"  
  
Maeko gave a very disappointed look to Uriko. "It's not going to go away, you know? You can't deny it never happened. Can you really lie about it?"  
  
Uriko sighed, covering her almost tearful face. "Oh, this is so stupid. Why? Why did I have to do that? I want to blame Jiro, but I can't…"  
  
Jiro looked a bit happier. "See, I don't deserve the blame." Maeko clouted him hard around the ear, enough to bring tears to his eyes. "Okay, okay, I can be blamed as an influence…"  
  
"What am I going to do?" Uriko choked on a sob.  
  
"How about we get a smoothie from the snack shack and we can decide from there?" Hiroshi brought up.  
  
"HOW CAN YOU THINK OF SMOOTHIES AT A TIME LIKE THIS!" Maeko screeched at him, the boy sinking.  
  
"It's okay, I really need one," Uriko defended. "Come on, maybe I can decide on doing something right for once…"  
  
***  
  
"I don't recall leaving the window open that wide," Long muttered to himself in consideration.  
  
Not thinking much of it, though being cautious, he stepped inside his apartment and listened carefully. It was a few minutes of this before he realised he was well and truly alone. His inspection around clearly showed everything was accounted for.  
  
He blew out a sigh of relief and went to set down his purchased grocery items on the kitchen counter top.  
  
It was then that he stopped in mid bag emptying. Something had picked up his senses, something that had lingered. He hadn't noticed it before when he'd first set foot inside, but now, he could feel some former presence prickle over his skin.  
  
Someone HAD been in his home. He found himself wandering into the lounge, finding that this scent was somewhat familiar to him.  
  
'Extraordinary,' he thought. An item set on the coffee table caught his eye, seemingly out of place in his immaculate apartment.  
  
A tube of glue. He picked it up curiously; knowing full well that he'd not used it in a while.  
  
'Now this is peculiar indeed. What is the meaning of this?'  
  
It was sometime later that following his instincts based on this scent, he soon discovered the true use of the glue.  
  
The shocking truth from unveiled.  
  
***  
  
Uriko had not long departed her friends company when she arrived home. She stood on the doorstep for a moment. She was still contemplating what she was going to do and say involving the situation with her Master's broken staff. She'd been thinking long and hard about it over a smoothie, even with her friends giving her ideas, but she still couldn't decide what actions to take. It was such a difficult situation, and she knew eventually, everything would have to come out in the open.  
  
Bidding the cold of the night an inward goodbye, she opened the door and stepped into the quiet of her house.  
  
'Wait, wasn't Alice suppose to be here?' Uriko wondered, confused why the house was bathed in silence. Around her was the heavy blanket of darkness, though, she did notice a small haze of light breaking through the sliding door into the lounge. It was an odd feeling.  
  
She slid open the wooden door and peered in tentatively. She regretted it silently as her eyes crossed the congregation that was sat there.  
  
Alice, Yugo and Kenji were sat on the couch in front of the bay window, facing across to her mother. She seemed to stiffen in remembrance that she was suppose to be studying with Kenji at seven, and by the big clock on the far wall, it was nearly twenty past.  
  
"You're late," her mother said, too calm for her liking.  
  
Uriko gulped and set foot further inside, taking into account that she should shut the door. Now in the room, she noticed another figure sat occupying a chair next to the fireplace.  
  
"Master Long," she said in the most composed voice she could muster, trying not to gulp at the rather blank expression that he had on his face.  
  
"Uriko." He acknowledged her greeting, his voice ever as smooth as it always was.  
  
The young girl could feel the tension, and began to feel a dread creep up her spine to what the group had met up for.  
  
"What's going on?" Uriko asked, though it seemed all too obvious anyway.  
  
"Where have you been?" Mitsuko questioned her daughter; her tone straining to stay controlled.  
  
"I got caught up with my friends. I didn't notice the time," she said, which was the honest truth.  
  
"And what have you been doing?" Her mother continued; all eyes were silently on Uriko.  
  
"Hanging out… just stuff," Uriko said, giving a half-hearted shrug. It was getting even tenser by the second.  
  
"Hanging out didn't by any chance have any connection with Long's apartment?"  
  
Uriko wanted to step out of the room, away from her mother's inquiry. She knew where this was heading and she was becoming more scared to find out the consequences.  
  
"Well, I guess we were close…" Uriko trailed off, feeling embarrassed that she was on the verge of lying. This wasn't like her at all.  
  
"Uriko," Long said imperturbably. "I know you were at my apartment today. I was able to pick up on your lingering scent in the room. Now, to save everyone the grieve of aimlessly going with the prolonged method of learning the truth, I am afraid I am going to be blunt with my words. You were most certainly in my apartment, gaining access by the window, and you went against my wishes of you touching the staff. Not only touching it, you damaged it as well and tried to cover this up by gluing the broken piece back together. You left the glue as very good evidence."  
  
Uriko flinched at how easy the words flowed out on the dark deed that had occurred. It was like he'd been there with her all along. Alice's eyes flowed over her in distress, while Yugo and Kenji were more deadpan on her. Mitsuko was ready to burst.  
  
"And all I want to ask is…" Long's stare almost bore into her. "Why?"  
  
"Master…" Uriko mumbled as she tried to pull words from an empty head. What could she say? Well, she could at least explain herself. "It was an accident, I swear it. I didn't mean for it to break. You see we were studying weapons of war for a test and my friend kept going on about guns and such, and I happened to mention your staff to counter the whole weapon idea. He pressured me into showing it to him and I did. And he kept fooling around and I snatched the weapon back and accidentally hit a dumpster. It wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't mean to go against your wishes."  
  
"But you do mean it if you go ahead and do it," Long stated firmly. Uriko just gave pleading eyes, her voice now failing to come up with anything else to say.  
  
"You could have said no!" Mitsuko seethed through her teeth. "You're a strong girl and you shouldn't let people make you do things you know you're not supposed to!"  
  
"I know, I know," Uriko defended weakly.  
  
"Uriko, I taught you how to fight because I trusted that you wouldn't do stupid things and make foolish choices. I specifically told you that you were not supposed to handle the weapon. It was entrusted into my capable hands as a gift that I was to keep safe and cherish, and in a matter of seconds, not thinking you could do harm, you not only broke an irreplaceable treasure, but also broke every promise you made to me."  
  
"Master…" Uriko didn't want to cry. She was always so strong, but it felt like she had really hurt her teacher by being so selfish.  
  
"For now, I think it would be wise I not teach you. Until I know I can rely on you to do the right thing," he said, slipping into silence.  
  
Uriko's mouth hung open. She wanted to scream out that it was just a weapon, but then again, it was a possession of meaning. For a second, she wondered why she was acting so crudely, and wondered if she was letting herself be so influenced, being that she acted so childish.  
  
"Uriko, I'm grounding you until further notice," her mother shouted, shocking the girl back to reality. It was the first time ever Uriko had been grounded. "Not only did you hurt your Kenpo Master, but you came in an hour late for your chores and dinner and you seemed to carelessly drop your commitment to Kenji. Oh Uriko, I'm so ashamed of you."  
  
It hurt so much, and it was so embarrassing for all this to happen in front of her sister and friends. Uriko couldn't look at either her mother or Long, and especially the others. Tears streamed down her face as she turned, flung the door open and ran off to seek solace in her bedroom.  
  
End of Part 1. 


	2. Part 2

Making Amends  
  
By Indigo Siren  
  
Disclaimer: Bloody Roar is copyright to Hudson Soft and my using of the characters and any game plot within this story are clearly for entertainment purposes only and are in no way being used to make money. I do however have rights to my idea of the story. All rights reserved.  
  
Part 2  
  
One week had gone by.   
  
Routines had gone on as per usual, as the busy, bustling city life didn't stop its hectic consistency. Children came to and from school, workers went back and forth from house to office, punters hung around the back street bars as per usual. Life was just normal.  
  
In a sense it had been all BUT normal for Uriko. One week had gone by - since THE incident.  
  
She'd alienated her Master's trust in her and made him think she was only an ignorant child. She'd also embarrassed herself in front of her friends and family by forgetting her responsibilities.  
  
Uriko hadn't seen her Kenpo teacher since that last Monday - in some ways, she was glad, as she didn't want to have to face him. He was always so scarily composed. The way he could mask his emotions so artistically had her insides churning with the need to know what he truly felt. But then again, she already knew of his disappointment; he didn't need to show it.  
  
Uriko dejectedly walked down the high street, another day of school behind her. It had been a long, dull week where she'd barely spoken to anyone. She'd also given her supposed friend, Jiro, a hard time. There was so much pity for her it was frightening. But it was better then feeling shamed.  
  
She'd even felt embarrassed to talk to Kenji after what had happened, and it took a lot to keep her quiet in his presence.  
  
She'd felt cheated with everyone being so unreasonable. The punishments had felt so harsh for something that looked so little. She was so usually very organised and dependable, and this one deviation had made everyone suddenly look down on her. It was if she'd been wearing some disguise in front of them and they'd been waiting for it to peel off.  
  
With thinking so much of her and having her be so strong and reliable, any small change from the norm seemed to have everyone defensive.  
  
What kind of people were they to be like that?  
  
Uriko inwardly cringed. She'd become so bitter about it.  
  
'Master Long didn't have to be so hard on me. He doesn't believe I'm mature enough, even when he's going on about how I'm such a skilled young lady… it all feels so false…' Uriko sighed. 'And mother… I hardly ever do anything wrong! They all made it so hard on me! I don't get it, I really don't.'  
  
She flicked her long braid over the front of her shoulder and twiddled it through her fingers idly, trying to take her mind off the situation.  
  
She decided to think about the day at hand, being Wednesday. Alice's birthday.   
  
She didn't want to feel so bitter on her sister's birthday, but she just couldn't help it. Seeing their friends and sitting over a big dinner wasn't going to be all that easy. By now, it would have been known by everyone that Uriko was under the eye of shame - though, she didn't understand why it would be anyone else's cause to be nasty to her about it.  
  
'Just stop thinking about it! Think about the whole birthday aspect… umm, lets see! Got to wrap the last of Alice's presents… I hope she likes it.' She inwardly smiled, remembering the set of miniature china rabbits - the irony had made her want to buy them for her sister. 'Got to help with birthday preparations and… chores. I've got to do more chore… oh boy…" She sighed, happy thoughts shattered that she was still stuck doing grounding chores on her sister's birthday. She could celebrate, but she was still stacked with literally one hundred and one things to do.  
  
She found herself half thoughtfully staring into a passing shop window, trying to focus on something that would ease the heaviness that seemed to fall on her shoulders.  
  
It was then she was brought to a dead stop. Her eyes grew wide, her body suddenly moving so she was pressed up to the glass barrier before her.  
  
Through an antique shop window, she stared at the object of her infatuation. It felt like a sign, a gift from the heavens…  
  
… A staff, so beautifully presented - sitting so near but yet so far.  
  
"It's just like Master Long's!" She drawled out in complete awe. "I have to get it for him!" She was about to turn towards the door, when a sudden train of thought paralysed her. 'What if he thinks it's some sort of bribe? Like I'm trying to win my way back in…' She cursed under her breath. 'I'm stupid… but wait! He'd understand! If he really had faith in me, he'd know I'd get it to show that I have the mature responsibility of replacing what I broke. No more thinking! Go in!'  
  
A bell chimed above the door as it was pushed open. The musky insides of the shop welcomed the fourteen-year-old into its cluttered arrangement. She grinned and bared against the smell of day old polish and something hinting a waxy odour, and trod towards the counter area. She held in the urge to sneeze as she sniffled against the dust threatening to clog her nose.  
  
A young man, looking to be about twenty and dark haired, stepped into a stairwell, just behind the counter area. He was just glancing over a magazine before catching view of Uriko. His eyebrow rose in confusion to her presence. She looked to him ready to speak but was then cut off as a curtain was pushed back from a back room and an old man hobbled out onto the shop floor. He too gave a look of surprise to her being there, but his demure was a lot friendlier to her.  
  
"Oh, hello there young miss," the old man greeted, scratching his thin mop of grey hair as he manoeuvred to his seat behind the counter. Uriko instantly drew herself in closer, leaning onto the counter top, feeling at ease in front of him. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Well, you see, I saw this staff over there," Uriko said, and pointed to the item in question, propped up firmly to the wall. "And I was wondering how much it cost?"  
  
The younger man behind snorted and sat on the stairs, engrossing himself in his magazine. The old man chuckled, highly amused by Uriko. He slipped on a pair of thin rimmed spectacles, smiling at her as if she was a little girl who'd come out with something cute to say.  
  
"Young miss, I do believe that staff is out of your price range," he said, with a friendly tone.  
  
"Well, anyway, how much does it cost?" She asked again.  
  
"Well, lets see." He dug below the counter top; picking out a big book and dropping it open onto the surface top. His finger graced the wanted page and tapped a line in the middle. "Ah, that would be one hundred and six thousand, seven hundred and sixty yen."  
  
Uriko almost fell over in shock. "WHAT! That's over priced! How can that be?"  
  
The old man still smiled beside the comment. "You see, young miss, there is much to be learned when it comes to items of such calibre. A price may seem heavy but it is worth it for the time and effort that has gone into the craftsmanship of such an item. It has a fair age to it, excellent condition and made from materials that are not easy to come by. And I must say shipping costs and tax deductions have not made it any cheaper. That's why I said it's out of your price range."  
  
Uriko huffed. She couldn't be so easily defeated. Kicking her shock aside, she pushed on. "What about we haggle - maybe a trade!"  
  
The old man blinked. "You want to barter?" The young man in the background even looked up to this. His eyes began to train quite thoughtfully on the cat Zoanthrope.  
  
"Yes! Anything! It's important to me! I've done something stupid and I want to settle things up and prove that I can be responsible! Please help me?" she said, tone pleading.  
  
The old man's face turned grave and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that item is too pricey to be so easily haggled down. And besides, I'm sure that even you would not be able to pay a suitable price for this, even if the money was less."  
  
He was right - she'd never in her wildest dreams be able to afford it. She'd been stupid to think otherwise.  
  
She sighed. "I guess so. Sorry I wasted your time." She turned, hope faded and headed back towards the door.  
  
"Hey, just a second!" A voice sounded out through the shop, being that from the young man. He'd come from his perch on the stairs to step out onto the main shop floor, coming close to Uriko. "I thought I recognised you."  
  
"Huh, what?" Uriko turned back his way, confused.  
  
"My cousin goes to your school. Hiroshi, you know him?"  
  
She nodded. "Oh, yeah, I do."  
  
"I remember a martial arts competition at your school. You were the only female participant, weren't you?" Uriko confirmed with a simple nod. "I went to watch that night. That strange Kenpo Master taught you… The Librarian, I think…"  
  
"Master Long isn't strange!" Uriko spoke up defensively, though the words felt lame coming from her lips.  
  
"Okay, okay…" The young man backed off from that and went on anyway. "Well, I saw you fight and I remember you winning, beating down all those top athletic boys. You have a lot of skill - yes, I do remember you well."  
  
Uriko tilted her head, confused what he was going on about.  
  
"How about we put those skills to a test… for a price?"  
  
The old man spoke up then. "Yoshi! I don't want you fighting again, and especially with a young girl!"  
  
"Come on, father! You can tell she really wants that staff. Must be something important for her to come in and be so inquisitive." The old man scowled upon his answer and fell quiet. The young man, Yoshi, turned back to Uriko. "So, what do you say to a contest against me? I'm well known for my own unique karate skills. A contest for the staff."  
  
Uriko's eyes lit up. "What! Really?" She stopped and gave him a half glance. "Though, what would you want if you won?"  
  
Yoshi smirked. "Well, if you won, you'd get the staff for free." His father gave a short protest in the background, but the boy silenced him off. "Though, if I win, you won't get the weapon, but have to pay the equivalent money of the staff in its entirety. Whatever means and ways you can."  
  
Uriko glanced him over. Strong looking and it seemed he'd be able to back his words with his skills. He wasn't a Zoanthrope for sure, so that gave her somewhat of an advantage. A lot was at stake if she lost… he could rig the fight to go his way… but it was a risk she was willing to take, for her teacher.  
  
"Alright. But you have to promise that there are no tricks and it's a fair fight! No cheating!" She warned.  
  
Yoshi gave a nod. "A fair fight is the best fight."  
  
"When then?"  
  
"Well, its fight night for me and the boys, so your chance is at six or never," he said firmly.  
  
Uriko blanched. It was Alice's birthday! Was it really worth it? Was this a responsible way after all?  
  
She twiddled her braid. "Isn't there any other time? What about tomorrow night?"  
  
"As I say, tonight or never," Yoshi confirmed, folding his arms.  
  
She groaned, grinding her heel into the floor. She hesitated, then sighed. "Fine, where do we meet?"  
  
"Behind the shop. Be prompt," he said and grinned. "Hope you're ready for an ass kicking."  
  
"Cocky," she said and turned on her heel. "Six it is."  
  
"Don't be late," he said after her as she left the shop.  
  
"I won't," she muttered lowly, barely listening to her mind screaming at her with lost sense of morality.  
  
'What am I doing? This is not what being responsible is all about! Someone better lock me up before I do anything else stupid!'  
  
***  
  
"Are you ready yet, Alice?" Mitsuko called up the stairs. The creak from the bathroom door was a good sign of progress and the Boar Zoanthrope was stunned as her eldest appeared, standing on the landing above.  
  
Set in a silken, pearl white, thigh length dress, Alice nearly hopped down the stairs towards her mother, still fiddling around with the puffy headband that sat on her cyan-coloured hair, which was down instead of up in it's usual pigtails. She couldn't help but smile at the look on her mother's face.  
  
"Oh, Alice, you look beautiful," Mitsuko said, brimming over with pride.  
  
Alice looked at herself in the mirror, fingers coaxing the bottom of her hair to curl slightly. "It's not too much, is it?"  
  
Mitsuko scoffed, going to stand behind Alice and helping her to adjust her thin straps to the right position. "Don't be silly, little rabbit. You're suppose to look overly amazing on your birthday."  
  
Satisfied with her appearance, the giddy Alice turned around to her mother. "So far, so good. Everything set in the kitchen, I hope?"  
  
"Oh yes, I made sure of it. No one will go hungry today! I've made enough to feed half of Japan!"  
  
"Good, good…" Alice trailed off thoughtfully.  
  
"Still worrying about your birthday curse?" Mitsuko asked with a touch of humour to her voice.  
  
"Oh, I guess… just hoping everything will go right," Alice said, then sighed dubiously, putting a smile back on her face. "Well, I better finish up. Want to put on my silky hose, but I can't until I find those darn shoes of mine. I bet this is just the start of everything going downhill."  
  
Mitsuko laughed. "Don't be silly, they're just a pair of shoes."  
  
"Shoes now, something blowing up later," Alice concluded before going on the hunt for her high heels. Mitsuko just shook her head to the whole silly birthday curse.  
  
The door opened behind the broad woman and she turned to see Uriko finally traipse in.  
  
"Ah, was wondering when you'd get home," Mitsuko said firmly. "We're in a rush as it is without you lagging behind. Everyone will be here soon."  
  
"I'm sorry," Uriko said, kicking off her shoes to the side.  
  
Mitsuko sighed. "I need you to move the decoration boxes for me while I sort the food out. You can get changed after. And please make sure you've put all your school stuff away and anything else too. The place needs to be respectable."  
  
"Yes, mother," Uriko said with a sigh and put her bag and coat in the corner temporarily while she went off to tend to the boxes.  
  
Mitsuko disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Uriko alone, staking a few boxes at hand in the dining room. Most of the decoration boxes were empty, though some still rattled with a few items that didn't go up - namely things that had been broken from prior years.  
  
Alice appeared in the doorway as Uriko came back through to the room. She almost gasped when she saw her sister and her gorgeous attire.  
  
"Wow, Alice, you look fantastic," Uriko commended.  
  
Her sister grinned. "Have to look my best now, don't I?" Uriko gave a small nod to that, and it made the older Nonomura girl want to question her sister's feelings. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah, just tired. Been a long day… and it's gonna keep getting longer with there being so much to do," she answered.  
  
Alice gave her a look of understanding. "Everything will work out okay." Uriko didn't answer, just looked at her with acknowledgement to what she meant. Alice smiled once more and raised up the lone white shoe in her hand. "Have you seen the partner to this?"  
  
"Oh, umm…" Uriko looked about her feet, coming to spy a flash of white beneath the long table. "Ah, I think it's under here." She knelt down and fumbled below, making a grasp for the shoe between the intertwined row of chair legs. She stood up, shoe in hand, knocking back into her mother as she entered the room with a tray - luckily, the older man had a firm grip on the item. The young girl leapt back in surprise.  
  
"Uriko! Be careful!" Mitsuko scolded her daughter. The item in question that she was holding was a very beautifully decorated birthday cake. Uriko inwardly cringed; horrified to think what would have happened if she'd knocked the tray from her mother's hands.  
  
"I'm sorry," the young girl apologised and presented the shoe to Alice. "I was just getting this for Alice. I didn't see you coming."  
  
"Oh well, no harm," Mitsuko relented with a sigh and placed the cake on the side table. The three gathered around, the birthday girl in admiration and her mother in pride of her work. Uriko just felt really hungry looking at it.  
  
The cake was covered in pink icing, with fondant flowers for the boarder - the odd thing that stuck out from the cake was the happy smiling sheep with the number '23' on the side, breaking the seriousness of the cake.  
  
"It's wonderful," Alice said lightly.  
  
"That's one freaky sheep," Uriko commented, making her sister laugh.  
  
"I'm glad you like it," Mitsuko said. "Well, I'll get that candles for that in a bit, but still, the other food needs to be dealt with. Uriko, there are still some things to be put away. We're running out of time."  
  
"I'm dealing with it," Uriko said monotonously, going back to her previous activity of clearing away untidy boxes.  
  
"I'd better go get those hose on," Alice said, clicking the heels on her shoes together as she lightly bounded off back upstairs.  
  
Mitsuko once again disappeared back into the kitchen, humming as she checked over the trays and trays of food that she had covering the surrounding counter tops.  
  
Uriko was on the last box of decorations, picking up the last box of unused oddments. She looked up at the clock - it was going on for four o'clock. Time was not being gracious.  
  
With looking up at the clock, she'd tilted the box and a red ball bounced out and rolled across the floor, going under the side table with the cake on.  
  
Uriko cursed. "Just my luck for some crazy escapee ball-ball."  
  
She set the box down on one of the chairs and ambled over to the table, getting onto to her hands and knees and ducking under the very low opening. Her hand snaked beneath, padding across the floor as she tried to reach out for the item.  
  
'Just a little closer…' Her hand nudged it and she stretched her fingers out to pull it within her grasp. It was then her back bumped up against the table, jolting it quite wildly. She managed to snag the ball and pull it out, and just at that moment, the tray, cake and all, came crashing down in front of her.  
  
Uriko looked horrified at the splattered mess. Her eyes trailed over the mess in disbelief of what she'd just done - almost faintly reeling as she glanced across the amazingly still intact sheep, splattered with pink icing.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me…" Uriko mumbled, frozen there on her knees in front of the former beautiful cake, now just a beautiful mess on the carpet.  
  
Mitsuko came through to see what the noise was and was completely riveted on the spot. It had only been literally a minute ago that she'd put an intact cake down on that table, and now, it was on the floor, nearly a mush pile with Uriko knelt next to it. The young girl turned to her with begging eyes, trying to project her innocence.  
  
"Mother, I swear it was an accident! A ball rolled under there and I tried to get it and banged the table… and… and…"  
  
"It's a mess now," Mitsuko said flatly, scarily staying calm voiced against her fuming emotions. The fury behind her dark eyes made Uriko cower. "I… I just can't believe you'd do this."  
  
"Mother…"  
  
"That was your sister's cake. I spent a lot of time on it and in all of two seconds, you reduce it to nothing," Mitsuko seethed through thin parted lips.  
  
"I'm really sorry," Uriko tried to amend. "I… I… I can fix it!" Like a desperate little child she scrambled to try and arrange the mess back on the tray in the form of a cake, patting it together like play-dough. She knew it was hopeless, and that she was just making it look worse. Uriko was ashamed of herself.  
  
"STOP IT!" Mitsuko shouted. "JUST LEAVE IT!"  
  
Uriko's shoulders dropped and she rested the sheep on top of the cake, as if she was laying it to rest. 'Oh boy… what have I done?'  
  
"Just put the tray on the side and clean up the mess!" Mitsuko had to hold back from blowing the roof off the house. "Uriko, what has got into you lately? YOU'VE BECOME IRRESPONSIBLE! How can I trust you to do anything when you're acting so clumsy!"  
  
Uriko slowly stood, putting the tray aside, daring to face the furious glare on her mother's face.  
  
Alice rushed down the stairs, now fully dressed up; to see what the shouting was about.  
  
"Mother, Uriko, what's…" Alice saw the mess of the cake, her mouth nearly unhinging completely. "… Happened…" She walked around the dining table to come stand in front of her former cake, looking sombre.  
  
"And I can't even make another one in time," Mitsuko said gravely, her voice pained more then anything.  
  
Uriko threw the escapee ball-ball across the room. "It was an accident! Why won't you believe me!"  
  
Mitsuko felt the anger slip into disappointment, her head shaking and voice full of sorrow. "Did I baby you too much, Uriko? Is this why your acting like this?"  
  
"What! No!"  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Mitsuko just sighed. "I'll go see if I can find a replacement." And she went off back into the depths of her kitchen.  
  
Alice turned to Uriko, her voice soft. "I know you're angry, Uriko… but I don't understand why you had to…"  
  
"I can't believe that you think I would do it on purpose," Uriko questioned unbelievingly, watching Alice just shrug in answer. The young girl just huffed and walked off to get a cloth and bucket of water.  
  
Alice's mind just rolled over and over with the whole 'Birthday Curse' theory, but was instantly pulled back to reality by the loud ring of the doorbell. "I'll get it!"  
  
The birthday girl bounded over to the door, shifting her sullen face to something much more warm and welcoming. She didn't want to feel all down over a messed up cake. She felt herself truly have a reason to smile as she revealed Yugo standing on the doorstep. She was instantly in his arms, sharing a passionate kiss with the wolf Zoanthrope.  
  
Kenji chuckled from behind. "If this is the special welcome you get on Alice's doorstep, then we should make it her birthday everyday!"  
  
Yugo parted from his girlfriend, looking flushed, but full of good nature. "As if you'd be allowed to even get a peck off the cheek from my Ally! Special occasion or not!"  
  
Kenji shook his head and instead offered the girl a friendly hug. "Happy Birthday, Alice."  
  
The gracious rabbit Zoanthrope was bursting with so much excitement as she hugged Kenji. "Aww, thank you. Come on in!" She parted from him and ushered the boys from the doorstep into the vastly decorated house. Streamers, banners and all kinds of hanging decorations touched every free corner. The decoration scheme had not been taken lightly.  
  
Yugo whistled. "Wow, heavy stuff! It's bright enough in here to burn your eyes out!"  
  
"You like it though?" Alice hung off his arm, giving him a very affectionate smile - all in hinting of the right answer to say.  
  
Yugo laughed. "Of course I like! You deserve all the decorations in the world. And might I say, you're just as well decorated." He spun her around to take a full look at the silky dress slide across her curves. She was such ravishing creature that tormented him so greatly.  
  
"You do look… dazzling, Alice," Kenji commented, trying not to say something that would make his brother smack him over the head.  
  
Alice blushed. "Thanks, guys."  
  
Yugo's attention was pulled from Alice when he saw the messy cake sat looking sad on the side table. He cringed. "Uh… interesting looking cake…"  
  
Alice didn't bother to turn around - it made her feel horrible just looking at what she could have cut and lit candles over. "Yeah, a slight accident," she said justly. She wasn't going to make a big deal out of it, especially to make things harder on her little sister, who was now in the room, trying to mop up the reminiscence of the accident. The older Nonomura girl noticed Kenji looking sympathetically over to her little sister, as it was obvious who had caused the accident.  
  
"No worries," Yugo said, giving her the A.O.K sign. "We can always make our own dessert later…" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at her.  
  
Alice lightly punched his arm at the insinuation, unable to pull the big, red cheeked smile from her face. "Yugo…"  
  
Deviating away to save embarrassment for them both, Yugo held up a bag before his lover. "Me and Kenji come baring gifts. Where do you want them?"  
  
"Oh!" Alice smiled with big eyes on the bag. "In the lounge on the table. I'll open presents after dinner."  
  
Kenji handed his present over to Yugo to put in the bag as he and Alice went off to the lounge. The mole Zoanthrope was more interested in the depressed looking Uriko. The usually lively girl, who'd be jumping all over him in a giggly mood at this point, was nothing more then a quiet, stick figure, wiping up on the carpet to clean up the remaining mess. By the way she moved it was as if her life depended on it.  
  
"Bad day?" Uriko only briefly looked up to him over her task.  
  
"You could say that… more like bad week or so," she said quietly.  
  
"Want to talk?" He asked.  
  
Uriko let out a tired sigh. "At the minute, talking is far from what I want to do. I just need time to think, is all."  
  
"Are you sure? I mean, if you need…"  
  
"If I need your help, I'll ask for it," she hissed lowly, much to his surprise. She cringed afterwards, looking rather apologetic. "I… uh, I need to go get changed." With the spot now cleaned, she departed with cloth and bucket in hand, leaving it just inside the door of the kitchen so not to disturb her mother and took off upstairs with school stuff from the hallway at hand.  
  
Kenji sighed, turning to Yugo and Alice on their return.  
  
"You alright?" Alice asked.  
  
"I'm fine," Kenji assured her.  
  
The doorbell called for instant attention.  
  
Alice trotted off to answer the door, revealing her next invited guests.  
  
"Mademoiselle Alice, you look beautiful," came the admirable comment from the war veteran, Alan Gado.  
  
Beside him, a blonde woman gave her own appraising nod to Alice's choice in dress sense. "It does wonders for your figure. You should dress a bit more exotic on a regular occasion."  
  
Alice grinned bashfully. "Thanks, Jenny. Though, it's not my thing - I like to see myself as more of a conservative girl."  
  
"Conservative is boring! If you want to have a little power and pride for yourself, you have to let a little bit of flesh peek out," the bat Zoanthrope said, stepping past the birthday girl with a strut in her step, her tight dress on show as an example. For once, the cleavage was well and truly hidden, but it didn't cover up much else.  
  
"A little you say…" Alice said, shaking her head.  
  
Jenny took it all in good nature. "Who said that I personally had to only show a little?"  
  
"Now, now, lets not start a fashion war," Gado interrupted as he shut the door behind him with an obvious loud click (But thankfully not a hinge wrenching slam). The older man glanced over at the half drooling Yugo, who was obviously giving the whole exotic look on Alice a bit of thought. Being caught in mid-daydream, Yugo seemed to sink back, a slight grin on his face. The older man just shook his head, and decided to present Alice her gift quickly so that the ladies wouldn't start all over again.  
  
Alice beamed. "Oh, thank you!" She took the gift and went to put it in the lounge.  
  
"It's from both of us," Gado called after her. "I let Jenny choose it. I never know what to buy for people."  
  
"It's not a usual thing for you, is it?" Jenny chuckled, going over to ruffle a hand over his hair playfully. "It was best to leave it up to some one with a bit of expertise."  
  
Alice returned, guessing what she could have picked out for her. "Well, it will be an interesting present I can guess."  
  
"I'm sure you'll like it," Jenny said, casting an eye over to Yugo sneakily. Though he didn't catch it, Alice sure did and started to really wonder what she'd brought.  
  
Uriko reappeared on the stairs, carrying her presents for Alice, now all wrapped. She'd discarded her school uniform and had cleaned up, opting to wear a white top that had long, flowing sleeves. It could have been described as a short dress, in which she wore cycling shorts underneath.  
  
"Ah, Mademoiselle Uriko," Gado greeted on seeing the young woman.  
  
"Mr. Gado, Jenny," Uriko greeted with a bow. The two mentioned people looked at each other and back to the girl. They'd both distinctly noticed a very doleful tone, trying to be hidden behind a happy greeting and a smile. It wasn't their place to start prying, but if she needed to speak, they would obviously listen.  
  
Mitsuko appeared at the entrance between the dinning room and the hallway, carrying with her a tray of drinks, now looking a bit brisker then she'd been earlier. "Hello! Thought you would want to start on a drink. We're nearly all here anyway, so I can start passing these around."  
  
"My daughter and Long should be along shortly," Gado informed, accepting a drink gratefully. "She is being rather… moody to say the least."  
  
"Having one of her off days," Jenny said, taking a sip of her drink. "Always seems to want to pick a fight with me when she gets going."  
  
"I left Long to sort her out. At least he can actually get through to her, better then I ever have," Gado continued. "They should be well on their way by now - just hope her 'tantrum' wasn't too bad."  
  
Jenny chuckled silkily. "Oh, she'd have your throat out for that one."  
  
Uriko remembered that her master had been invited to the party too. How could she have forgotten? Well, it didn't matter; there had been so much on her mind to really think about the guest list. Her stomach turned over a few times. For once in her entire life, she was left standing in an assembly with nothing to say to anyone. She caught Kenji staring her way, but she couldn't hold his gaze. It was so sympathetic; it made her want to sink into the floor.  
  
"Oh, what happened to the cake?" Jenny had keenly spotted the mess on the side table.  
  
Mitsuko cringed. "Ah, I would have cleaned that away. Been too busy." The older woman's eyes glanced over Uriko with a not so happy affliction. "To cut a long story short, a certain daughter of mine is still building on her streak of damaging things left, right and centre."  
  
Everyone got the hint, not wanting to stare rudely at her. Uriko just decided to remain quiet, so not to get on her mother's nerves.  
  
"Well, never mind, as long as you've got us all here to celebrate the day, then who needs a cake?" Yugo said, rubbing Alice's shoulder. The woman patted his hand affectionately.  
  
The last anticipated doorbell chime sounded, making it know the last guests had arrived.  
  
Alice stepped, welcoming in the younger Gado first off, followed by her Chinese companion.  
  
Shina gave a rather sharp, hole-burning glare at Jenny, whom just smiled pleasantly. Blowing out a breath of agitation, she decided not to let the other woman get on her nerves and instead turned to Alice. "Happy birthday! Another year on the clock, so, how does it feel?"  
  
"Rather candid, Jane," Long said, shaking his head.   
  
Alice laughed. "It's no different to being twenty-two, but just knowing you've added another number makes your stomach go all weird."  
  
Long handed the gifts from them both to Alice. "And I wish you many happy returns myself."  
  
Alice took the presents gratefully. "Thank you, Long. I'll just go put these with the others."  
  
Mitsuko offered drinks to the two newcomers, whom accepted them with appreciation. Now with a clear tray, she decided to retreat. "Enjoy yourselves. Put on some music or something. Alice organised all the main games and things for after dinner, which I must say will be ready anytime soon."  
  
"Can't wait to see what you've got in store for us, Ally." Yugo wrapped an arm around his girlfriend.  
  
"I assure you that you won't be disappointed," she said proudly.  
  
"Oh?" Yugo had a playful gleam in his eye. Alice just swatted him.  
  
"Not anything crude, Yugo!" The rabbit Zoanthrope sniggered.  
  
"He's just begging for it," Shina put in, giving the couple a wink - in turn, laughter erupted amongst the group.  
  
Long didn't want to think much into that comment, and instead looked back to the stairs where he's briefly spotted Uriko on the way in. Normally, she'd have joined on the joke and laughter, but she'd not said a word. Surprisingly, the spot she'd been in had been vacated pretty quickly. He knew that with his presence, she'd made herself quietly scarce. He inwardly sighed, feeling his arm being tugged by Shina, whom broke him from his drifted attention, so to guide him to the dining room where the others had gone to decide on music.  
  
"Rather… interesting taste you have," Jenny said, mildly amused by the CD rack like up. Mostly occupied by Uriko's pop culture CD's, though some were of what Alice left when she'd moved out, and very few were of gold and oldies that Mitsuko listened to. The variety was thin.  
  
"You go with it, pick one at random!" Alice presented. "Just something for the background."  
  
"I don't think any of us mind really," Shina said, browsing for herself.  
  
"As long as it's not anything like… 'Heavy metal'," Long said, barely remembering what the name of the genre of music. "I don't particularly want to hear incoherent babbling about people wanting to butcher each other pointlessly."  
  
"Aww, but that's the best kind of music," Shina defended, giving her companion the eye of distaste.  
  
"It's hardly what I call music," he said bluntly, dodging a playful punch from the leopard Zoanthrope.  
  
"You've got to remember, Shina," Yugo put in. "Long is still at least twenty years behind everyone else in pretty much everything."  
  
"That's harsh," Alice said with a shake of her head.  
  
"Careful with the insults wolf boy!" Shina turned on the man in question.  
  
"Now look, you're getting her all worked up," Jenny said; hoping the taunt was known. Shina most expectantly gave her a cold glare.  
  
"Okay, okay, sorry for taking a shot at your man," Yugo said with a grin.  
  
Long rolled his eyes, trying not to glow at the indication. "I'm not saying a word."  
  
Before Shina would start tearing up everyone in the room, Alice jumped into the fray, CD at hand. "I've got some dance anthems. I'll stick that on, shall I?"  
  
There were a few mumbles of agreement and Alice promptly put the CD in. She selected the track she wanted and sighed in settlement. It was a sudden surprise that her favourite upbeat song seemed to want to crackle in high and low tones then rather blurt out the song forcefully as it was suppose to. She exchanged glances with the others, and completely confused, tried button after button, to see if there was any difference.  
  
"That doesn't sound too healthy," Shina commented, leaning over Alice's shoulder. "Maybe the CD is scratched or your player needs cleaning."  
  
"No, no, it's alright usually. The CD is in perfect condition… I don't understand," the birthday girl said, going into a huff with the CD player.  
  
"Probably a loose wire, let me take a look," Yugo promptly volunteered. Alice had given up with it, never really understanding why technology had to be so… technical! Her beau was now crouched at the side of the CD player, pulling it's back to angle towards him and he checked all the leads at the back.  
  
"It doesn't appear to be… GAHH!"  
  
The poor man leapt back with a shock as a sharp current of electricity struck him, travelling from an unseen exposed wire. He made a low whimpering sound as he held is half twitching arm. Alice was suddenly all over him in her nursing ways.  
  
"Oh, my poor Yugo," she sympathised, assessing him and cuddling him at the same time.  
  
"Wimp," Shina muttered, not taking Alice's glare into account. "I'll turn off the power and we can take a better look."  
  
"I'd better make sure you don't destroy it," Gado tormented his daughter, setting his drink aside for the time being. And for a fact, it was obvious she didn't like the whole scenario with him looking over her shoulder; he knew that from experience.  
  
"Calm down," Jenny soothed, almost teasingly between them. "Lets just see what you can do to help fix the CD player."  
  
"It's alright, I'm only here to help, and she knows I'm not serious," Gado enlightened obviously. His daughter just muttered something quietly and cracked her fingers. Kenji stayed out of the whole situation; merely watching the events of a background argument and the most wanted attention Yugo was getting from Alice.  
  
"I'm not going to be able to give any assistance with any of this technical insanity," Long interjected, though he knew he was barely heard over the groups deviated attention. "I… think I will go and acquire another drink…"  
  
The Kenpo teacher left the group to it's mixed devices as he disappeared from the room. Kenji was the only one who noted that the glass Long was carrying was still half full.  
  
***  
  
Uriko heaved the last of the boxes behind the sofa to clear room in the lounge for the latter part of the party. She'd made sure to leave the games box just under the coffee table so she wouldn't accidentally move it so nobody could find it.  
  
She done herself proud by giving the lounge another clean over - it was distracting for her. At the moment, she wanted to stay out of the party, let things settle in with the group before she would rejoin them. It gave her time to boost her confidence.  
  
'Mother sure is angry, and Alice is upset with me. The others… oh I don't know, I feel so stupid.' Uriko fluffed up a cushion a little too roughly, throwing it down into the corner of the sofa with a winding force. 'I feel so betrayed. Nobody would understand me… not even if I talked to them. I'm in the wrong, I'll face it but why… why can't that give me more then one chance?'  
  
The sliding door to the lounge opened and she nearly jumped as she had been in thought. She was quite surprised to see her Kenpo teacher step into the room. It was obvious by the look on his face that he wished to speak privately, and at that precise moment in time, they were alone.  
  
She gulped, the itchy feeling of discomfort taking over. Her stomach twisted as she contemplated what to say. Nothing came to mind and she quickly averted her attention back to what she'd been doing before. She rearranged things that she'd already rearranged, but it kept her occupied and her eyes from her teacher.  
  
"Hello, Uriko," his soft, smooth voice greeted her with no sense of hate, disappointment or anger. He had once again easily masked his emotions by the calm, pleasant greeting.  
  
"Master Long," she said with equal softness, once again fluffing the cushion, but a little less rough this time around.  
  
"I felt obligated to come see how you were feeling. You disappeared when myself and Jane arrived, so I couldn't inquire."  
  
"I'm fine," she said, trying not to sound too apathetic. "I had things to do in here."  
  
"It seems you've done a exceptional job in tidying in here. Will you not come join the party?" Long asked sincerely.  
  
Uriko could almost feel her eye twitch. "I have much more to do."  
  
Long sighed. "Come now, Uriko, it's your sister's birthday. I think that you should at least give thought to making this day special for her. You shouldn't need to seclude yourself even if you have a bit of work to do."  
  
Uriko just looked down at the cushion in hand. "I'm… too busy."  
  
His face saddened. "Uriko, please, don't take anything out on your sister or the others because of what has happened between us. Is it worth making other people feel miserable?"  
  
"I'm not doing anything to the others," Uriko defended lowly, not looking up to meet his inquiring eyes. "And… who said anything about…" She just stopped herself - she didn't want to talk about it.  
  
"Uriko, I'm you're friend, and I mean that most…" he began to reason, stepping towards her. She finally looked him in the eye, backing a step up, forcing him to stop in wonder. She shook her head, turning his face to a light frown. "What?"  
  
"Friend? But friends don't make other people feel bad and embarrassed, or let them carry around a guilt conscience." She regretted saying anything, but the words were just slipping out. They felt as if they were her only barrier of protection - just enough to keep him at a distance.  
  
He sighed again. "I care about you and your feelings, Uriko, but you have to understand how I felt about what you did. I may have been harsh in retaliation, but if you were in my position, you would most certainly understand my reasoning. Though, I am sorry I made you feel uncomfortable in front of your friends and family."  
  
Friends. She didn't hear him say student or master to describe them. She remained quiet, the word friend rumbling through her head. The word friend to her meant caring, forgiving and trusting…  
  
Trust… that's what it was all about. But he didn't trust her… not for what she did. It seemingly effected everything. She didn't want to say anything about trust in case it got thrown back in her face. She looked down sadly.  
  
"Uriko," he reached a hand out to tenderly rest on her shoulder, but she shrugged away from him before he could touch her.  
  
"You're missing the party," she said simply and turned on him and focused on fiddling with the ornament pieces on the coffee table.  
  
"Uriko…" He tried again.  
  
"Just… go back to the party. I want to be left alone," she said, a little more firmly.  
  
Long was forced to give up and respect her wishes. He didn't want to cause a fight, and deep down, he eagerly wanted to make things right with the young girl. His anger had subsided from the week prior and all he wanted now was some peace, but it seemed that a cord has been struck deep within her. He shook his head to himself and retreated to the exiting doorway, at the last second looking back to her.  
  
"We shall talk again soon, Uriko. I wish to resolve this. For now, I think you should put your sister first over anything else," he said and finally departed.  
  
She wanted to kick the chair over, all her emotions tangling like a web in her mind. Deep down, she wanted it to be over, but she still couldn't let go of the bitterness.  
  
It certainly wasn't believed that she truly meant she was sorry. In their eyes, she was still a girl with so much to learn, looked down upon for things she did.   
  
Her heart ached and she stared at the photo of her sister on the mantle.  
  
'Forgive me,' her mind whispered softly. Just beyond the wall, she could hear the continuous talking, shouting and giggling.  
  
Just a room away, the very tedious party continued.  
  
End of Part 2 


	3. Part 3

Making Amends  
By Indigo Siren  
  
Disclaimer: Bloody Roar is copyright to Hudson Soft and my using of the characters and any game plot within this story are clearly for entertainment purposes only and are in no way being used to make money. I do however have rights to my idea of the story. All rights reserved.  
  
Part 3  
  
Shina brushed back strands of her blonde fringe as she came to stand from her crouched position behind the CD player. After dusting down her knees, she patted the top of the player as a signal of completion.  
  
"I think it was just dust," she concluded to Alice. "And it didn't help that some of the wires were beginning to become exposed."  
  
"We aren't exactly going to notice these things," Alice pointed out. "It isn't really played that much. And besides, none of us are technical whizzes." She cuddled up closer to the back of Yugo, whom didn't need to be nursed anymore, but it was obvious they just enjoyed being close and used the mishap as an excuse.  
  
"Well, don't start celebrating your technical genius yet," Gado forewarned. "It may not work."  
  
"Always doubting my abilities," Shina said with a sigh, leaning down to turn the power back on.  
  
"The curse could crop up any minute," Alice quipped, a nervous laugh to follow. She gripped on tighter to Yugo's shoulders.  
  
"I think it had its fun with electrocuting me." Yugo grinned at his girlfriend. The rabbit Zoanthrope chuckled lightly in response  
  
Seconds later, the CD player was bursting into life, the song Alice had selected before announcing itself and filling the room with dance music. The congregation applauded Shina, whom bowed, looking rather smug.  
  
"Well done," Alice congratulated, pleased that it hadn't exploded in their faces. But now she'd thought that, she wondered if it would actually happen.  
  
"Ah, I never cease to amaze myself," The leopard Zoanthrope said with a happy sigh. She noticed that at this time, Long had reappeared and she went over to him, rest her arm up on his shoulder. "You missed my crowning moment." She laughed, mainly for her own sake, any cast a self-satisfied glance at Jenny, just for the hell of it before focusing back on her companion. "You alright? You're chucking the drinks back a bit."  
  
"Sorry?" The confused man inquired.  
  
Shina pointed to the glass in Long's hand. "You went to get another drink and you've been gone a bit. Must have been hiding somewhere with the bottle."  
  
Long just smiled weakly to that, deciding not to inform her that it was really still his first glass. He caught Kenji giving him an odd, compelling look, but he just ignored it and let himself be dragged into conversation with the group ahead.  
  
Kenji had known where he'd really gone, but it wasn't his business to involve himself in their tiff. But it still bothered him, and he sat there partly listening to the commencing conversation, but he let himself drift onto thoughts of his friend, Uriko. He kept looking to the door in hope that she would come in but he knew she wasn't feeling too happy at the moment, and didn't want to push anything on her. Feeling he wasn't really participating in the group conversation anyway, he decided he would go and see her. Giving a last smile to Alice, whom was trying without effort to get the others to dance with her, he headed for the door...  
  
... That was until the light bulb exploded. Everyone jumped.  
  
Mitsuko peered around the door. "What on Earth was that?"  
  
"Argh! The curse!" Alice squeaked. "I told you didn't I!"  
  
"Calm down. It's just a freak coincidence," Jenny input over the rabbit Zoanthrope's panicking.  
  
"The light bulb ruptured," Long told Mitsuko, whom looked baffled by such an occurrence.  
  
The door before Kenji opened, making the boy jump, but he calmed with a smile seeing that it was just Uriko.  
  
She looked at him inquisitively. "What happened? I heard a strange noise."  
  
"Besides your sister's choice in music, the light bulb decided to explode," he informed her.  
  
Uriko blew out a sigh, flicking off the switch on the wall to cut the current. "I suppose I better deal with it."  
  
"You want some help?" He asked.  
  
"No, no... it's fine. You're a guest," she said disappearing into the hallway, heading for the closet to retrieve a box of bulbs.  
  
"Are you sure? There is broken glass too. I could take care of that?" Kenji asked, really wanting to be of help to her. It looked like she could use some understanding company.  
  
She sighed, composing herself to smile, looking thankful for his offering. "Seriously, I'll get to the glass afterwards. You don't have to do anything." She reached and pulled on the handle of the door. "You just enjoYAGGGHHH!"  
  
All those stacked boxes she'd put in there before came crashing down on top of her. Kenji flinched and was quickly over to her side to rescue the poor kitten from the box pile.  
  
Mitsuko heard her daughter's yell and the crash to follow and sighed. "I'm not even going to ask."  
  
Uriko groaned, clambering out with Kenji taking her arm. "I'm okay. Not too badly flattened."  
  
"Look, I'll do the-"  
  
"No!" Uriko stopped him sharply. "I said I'd do it and I will. No amount of heavy boxes will stop me. I'm not a little kid."  
  
She pulled away from the surprised boy and clambered the boxes to retrieve the bulbs off the shelf in the closet. Wandering back, he could distinctly hear her mutter to herself in reminder of clearing up the boxes.  
  
"A little kid?" Kenji shook his head sadly, muttering to himself. "I never said you were."  
  
Bulbs in hand, Uriko entered the lounge. "It's okay, I'm dealing with it."  
  
"Careful," Alice said to her sister.  
  
Uriko put the box onto the table and pushed out a chair directly under the light. Clambering up, ignoring the slight wobble, she carefully managed to get down the remains of the previous bulb and went and disposed of it. Now, on her go to actually put up in a new bulb, it seemed fate was planning to have more fun with the young girl, as the wobbly chair decided to resist standing still.  
  
The young girl squeaked, hands coming out to steady herself, but in doing so, nearly throwing the box of bulbs from her hand. She was lucky that she didn't, but then very unlucky for the weak bottom to fly open and send an array of bulbs scattering across the room. She quickly managed to at least trap one from flying out.  
  
"In coming!" Yugo pulled Alice down, ducking a bulb flying overhead.  
  
Jenny barely tilted her head aside as a bulb flying past and smashing against the wall. She carried on sipping her drink unfazed.  
  
Kenji used the door as a barrier as one nearly hit him. He let out a sigh of relief.  
  
Long stepped backwards as one crashed at his feet, though poor Shina had one hit her shoulder.  
  
"Ow! Damn it," Shina cursed. "I'm glad I wore a jacket now!"  
  
Uriko blanched. "I'm so sorry!" She stared at the last bulb at hand. At least she'd saved that one... and nearly knocked out everyone else.  
  
Long stepped in towards the young girl, who was stabling the chair from rocking. "I could do that if you like? Save you the trouble."  
  
Uriko scowled at him. "What? Think I'm incapable of changing a bulb now?"  
  
The dripping sarcasm in her voice had taken the Kenpo master of guard, but he didn't let it show. "No, I never--"  
  
"Oh, just... shut up," she said, partially quiet so that nobody else would hear and turned back to her duty.  
  
Long would never admit he was in shock, but her tone was nothing he'd ever heard before. She was usually so respective and kind – this side to her was much different. Never in the time he'd know her had she been so purposely rude. For one, he was an intimidating person (Though he couldn't see it himself), and it wasn't a usual thing for people to actually snap back at him – besides that of people who were very close and who shared equal power to him. He decided not to say anything else, in case he started an uproar. Instead, he went over to Shina, to see how she was fairing.  
  
"I'm fine, no injury," the young woman said, carefully brushing off her shoulder. "This jacket's got a lot of padding in it."  
  
"If not for the jacket, she might have lost her arm," Jenny badgered.  
  
Shina snapped a sharp glare her way. "It was too bad it missed your face, might done a hell of a lot of good!"  
  
"Okay, ladies, calm down," Gado interrupted abruptly. "We've all got to admit it was a bit of fun."  
  
"What, having to survive being killed by falling light bulbs?" Shina spat pungently. "Yeah, REAL fun!"  
  
"Come on, 'Miss-Former-Mercenary', I thought you'd love the excitement of fighting for survival. Not had that much fun in a while, have you?" Jenny goaded on, going to stand by Gado.  
  
"I'm going to punch you out in a minute!" Shina snapped, cracking her fist in warning.  
  
"Oh, please, don't! No fighting!" Alice said desperately. "This is a party, not a boxing ring!"  
  
"What's a party without a good fight?" Yugo joked. Alice just slapped him around the head.  
  
Uriko climbed down from the chair, bulb changed, ignoring what was going on. Instead, she went to flick the light on, and low and behold, it clicked on without a glitch. She disappeared quickly to go find the dustpan and brush.  
  
"Ah, we have light," Gado commented, though he couldn't seem to pull everyone away from Shina burning holes through the British woman, whom was obviously enjoying getting on the other's nerves.  
  
Alice came between the two. "Instead of fighting, how about we, uh... dance... in competition." Everything went dead quiet and the birthday girl felt like shrinking back.  
  
Jenny's smile widened. "I would love to, but I bet Miss. Gado wouldn't be interested. She hasn't got the grace for dancing."  
  
"I may have the grace of a tank, but that doesn't mean I can't dance!" Shina defended, fists clenching at her sides. She knew she wasn't exactly the best dancer to grace a dance floor, but having Jenny thinking she had one over her made her blood boil. "I won't back down for a challenge." Her eyes narrowed. "You're going down."  
  
Jenny laughed. "Oh good! Come on, let's see what you can do."  
  
Alice smiled, inwardly cheering that she somehow got some of them to dance.  
  
Gado came to Long's side, patting his shoulder. "I think we should move out the way – this is something the ladies need to do."  
  
Long didn't protest as he followed Gado to the window seat, where Kenji had gone to occupy when things were getting tense. Yugo stayed sat beside the dinning table.  
  
In front of them, Jenny and Shina stood opposite each other, looking like they were going to square off – though, it kind of was the situation, but not as it would be expected.  
  
"Okay then, lets shake things up." Alice chuckled and put another piece of music on.  
  
***  
  
"Always something... never get a break," muttered Uriko as she gathered the dustpan and brush and headed back to the lounge.  
  
Upon entering, she almost did a double take. Trying not to look shocked, she edged around the room quietly, blinking as if she had suddenly walked into a dream.  
  
Jenny and Shina... DANCING!  
  
'Alice must have pulled a fast one to get them dancing,' Uriko thought, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. It was kind of funny to watch, as never in a million years did she think that she'd see this kind of action... well, maybe with Jenny. But Shina!  
  
Gado, Kenji, Long and Yugo were sat out of the way as Alice grooved in between the rival women. Jenny was her usual sexy self, reflected in how she moved, and for once, Shina was a little more graceful, but not too forward.  
  
Uriko had the strangest thought that Shina could one of those girls who could actually suddenly start break dancing. Shaking such an idea, she went to clean the glass up, bobbing around to the areas where the flying bulbs had struck.  
  
Alice went and sat tiredly on Yugo's lap, wrapping an arm around his neck.  
  
"Phew, tiring," she said. "But look at those two go."  
  
Yugo nodded, admiring the other two women. "I see something new everyday!"  
  
The music came to an abrupt stop, leaving Jenny and Shina frozen from their routines, staring at each other. The small audience of men clapped.  
  
"You're most talented, Jane," Long complimented the young woman.  
  
Gado laughed to this. "I didn't know my daughter could dance!"  
  
Shina rolled her eyes at him at looked back towards Jenny. "No contest really."  
  
"So you say," the bat said smoothly, unmoved.  
  
Mitsuko disturbed the congregation, carrying in trays of food. She smiled warmly. "Dinner is ready."  
  
"Nothing beats food!" Yugo grinned, helping up Alice and escorting her to a seat all gentlemen like. She chuckled, flattered.  
  
Mitsuko came back and forth with trays and trays of food, while everyone else settled to sit down. Kenji sat right on the end opposite Alice and Yugo, with Shina shoving up next to him so to avoid having to sit opposite her father and Jenny. This left Long to do so with a spare seat left for Uriko, whom had just come back from tipping the glass remains into the outside bin.  
  
She was hesitant; none too pleased with the seating arrangement. Of course, she couldn't argue and through a tantrum about having to sit next to him – that would have been just silly. Her mother had already come back to pass around hot plates; she couldn't just stand there.  
  
Long turned to her, offering a warm, friendly smile. "You coming to sit down?"  
  
She looked around the table, feeling a little out of place, avoided looking back to Long as she looked up towards the clock.  
  
'EKK! Just under forty minutes!' Her mind reeled. 'No time to eat!'  
  
She looked down. "I'm not hungry..."  
  
Mitsuko turned to her furiously. "What! Oh don't be stupid, Uriko. This is not the time to start acting up!"  
  
"Please, come sit down," Long asked. It was the look in his eyes that made Uriko look away from him. That look that wanted her to actually be in a celebrating mood...  
  
Feeling slightly embarrassed; Uriko began inching towards the door. "I'm sorry..."  
  
"Uriko!" Mitsuko hollered as he youngest quickly left the room. In a huff, she sat down on her chair, turning to Alice. "That girl! She's being so selfish."  
  
"I dunno," Alice said softly, not really wanting to comment.  
  
Mitsuko took in a deep breath. "No, I won't let this bother me. I won't get worked up. We're suppose to be celebrating."  
  
Long shook his head shamefully. "I can't help but feel this is my fault."  
  
"Oh, don't be silly," Mitsuko assured the man. "Uriko is acting irresponsibly and you shouldn't let her make you feel bad."  
  
"I wish we could just not fight... any of us." Alice said, looking towards Shina as well as Jenny, whom just used the moment to glare at each other. "I just wish she'd eat with us and not think anymore about aggravating the situation."  
  
"If I wasn't so harsh..." Long muttered.  
  
"Hey, come on! Cheer up!" Shina said patting his shoulder.  
  
"Well anyway, let's start dishing food out," Mitsuko suggested, bypassing the situation.  
  
"You can start without me," Long said, standing. "I'll see if I can't talk to her."  
  
"Well... okay," Mitsuko said, letting the man follow the way out that Uriko had beforehand.  
  
***  
  
The cat Zoanthrope had quickly undressed upon arriving at her room, hunting around for a fighting outfit that she could wear for her bout against Yoshi. She threw open the doors of her walk in wardrobe and skimmed the line of outfits, hesitantly coming to a stop on one of her favourites.  
  
It was a red Chinese-style outfit, styled with two flaps that had fiery golden phoenix on the front. The arms were long and wide, just how she liked them, and detachable if needed be. It was a cosy, convenient outfit and she loved it greatly... but Long had been the one who'd given it to her.  
  
She brushed that aside, desperately needing something to wear and pulled it out with a pair of black cycling shorts. A pair of matched red pumps snugly fit her feet to complete the outfit.  
  
All decked out in her fighting gear, Uriko was ready to go. Sighing, she looked towards her door.  
  
'I'm sorry, Alice... everyone, but I've got to do this.' She turned and opened her large window, climbing onto the ledge. There was a nice big apple tree just outside her window that could support her weight. One nice leap and she'd be on a sturdy branch.  
  
There was a knock on her door and she froze.  
  
"Uriko?"  
  
'Oh no! Master Long!' She shook her head and wasted no time to leap from her perch into the tree. Bounding down to land on her feet, she quickly scrambled off as fast as she could.  
  
Meanwhile, outside her room, the Chinese man waited patiently for an answer and was a little deterred that he didn't received one, putting it down to her not being all too happy with him at the moment.  
  
"Uriko, I would just like to talk to you," he said softly, uneasy by the silence. Though, coming to think of it, the silence was a little too thick for his liking. No sound at all from inside the room – his sensitive hearing would have definitely picked something up. He'd been sure he'd heard something before...  
  
Somehow, he couldn't feel her close by anymore...  
  
"Uriko?" He tried the door handle and it opened. He let it push back, revealing an empty room...  
  
... And an open window.  
  
***  
  
The back alley behind the antiques shop was a fair size, lined with empty crates, large dumpsters and a few wooden stools that the assembled group there had brought along, besides using the crates (Which sometimes collapsed when sat on).  
  
The sun was fading rapidly and whatever light was shining down was a dull orange glow reflecting off the light brickwork of the walls, keeping the alley lit just enough for suitable fighting conditions.  
  
Yoshi and his friends sat waiting for Uriko to show, laughing and enjoying a feast a food and drink they always brought along to these events. Though Yoshi didn't touch anything because of the challenge.  
  
"So, what's this girl like?" asked the chunky member of the group, half stuffing his face with a long baguette.  
  
"A cute little thing. Got reasonably light hair, big eyes... you know, the usual little girl types... and no, Ryo, she's not something you can sleep with," he said, smirking.  
  
The chunky Ryo blanched. "Hey! I'm not a pervert!"  
  
"So you say," Yoshi muttered under his breath.  
  
Ryo rolled his eyes and finished off the baguette to make him feel better.  
  
It was then Uriko appeared, looking tentative at first, but soon realising she was in the right place, stood towards them with a bit more confidence.  
  
"Ah, my opponent arrives," Yoshi said, then looked at his watch. "And right on time."  
  
"As I promised," Uriko answered, stopping before him.  
  
A lean, longhaired member of the group snorted. "She's a bit short, ain't she?"  
  
"Size doesn't matter, Kakou. It's whether you can back it up is what matters," Yoshi informed, smiling at Uriko, whom nodded to this.  
  
"She's the winner of that martial arts competition at Yoshi's cousin's school," Ryo informed Kakou, who just shrugged, uninterested.  
  
"Let me introduce you to my friends," Yoshi said, seeing as they seemed more knowing of her then she was of them. "The fat one's Ryo..."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Yoshi ignored his Ryo and went on. "The unimpressionable one is Kakou." The lean man nodded. "The quiet duo are Mashiro and Kazuo." Two boys, with similar looking shaven heads, though the one named Kazuo wore glasses, nodded at Uriko. "And last but not least..." He went over to the only female of the small group – a blonde girl, American, whom was sat next to Kakou. Yoshi went and placed a hand on her shoulder smiling. "This is Noël."  
  
"Your girlfriend?" Uriko said, half teasing.  
  
Yoshi just went bright red, gabbling an answer while Noël spoke up. "Just a friend I assure you."  
  
Uriko was impressed by her fluent and clear Japanese and nodded.  
  
"Come on!" Kakou shouted impatiently. "Instead of getting all cosy and personal, can we get a fight going here?"  
  
Yoshi rolled his eyes and smiled to Uriko, over his bashful display. "Do excuse the rudeness of my friend. He's all been impatient and one day it'll kill him, i.e. him, a road and a school bus." There was a mixture of chuckling and disputing between the group, which Yoshi stayed out of, still addressing Uriko. "I'll let you warm up first. Only the proper thing to do."  
  
"Alright," Uriko said, stepping away from the group. She felt a little self conscious in front of them, but with her back turned, she felt a little more at ease to perform a few simple routines, not giving away anything.  
  
Yoshi stood just away from his group and leaned against the wall, doing a manor of stretches.  
  
Uriko cast brief glances to her opponent and his friends. She was still a tad nervous, despite how good-natured (Or close enough) the group was to her. That Kakou wasn't all to taken by her and she knew it, but somehow, he didn't look the type to go butting into a fight, unless he was the one starting it. Everyone else looked reasonable and fair, even the chunky Ryo.  
  
'Lets just see if this is an even match...' She thought, hoping it was since her loss would mean big debt.  
  
Yoshi had finished warming up just before Uriko. He cracked his knuckles, also indulging to pop the knots from his neck. Uriko cringed, thinking it to be completely unnecessary.  
  
"Ready then?" He asked her smoothly, eyes preparing to slip into an unreadable battle face.  
  
"No tricks?" She asked for sure.  
  
"None, I promise. There will be no outside interference or intended traps. Just a clean fight," he answered.  
  
She just nodded, falling into her loose battle stance. Keeping her weight balanced quite incisively on each foot, she could be sure to easily shift into her combo ring. She had to watch carefully for a rough pattern in his arsenal. She hated being on the defensive, as she was better at countering and out right attacking. Maybe she could actually do herself proud...  
  
... And maybe even for her Master Long.  
  
Yoshi was the one to attack first. She couldn't exactly tell what style he was using – a combination of martial arts with a brawler style. He'd stepped in close to her, using his left hand to hook a punch at her face, while snapping his other stiff fist at her gut. Uriko dodged, the first shot went straight past her face, while the other caught her side as she tried to move away.  
  
She grimaced, hopping back. He wasn't a weak human for sure.  
  
She squeaked, barely the time to react as he didn't hold back on his attacks. His tactics were more on the offensive. Uriko had to keep back up from his shots – the elbows shots and fists aiming for the upper body. Surprisingly, he went low and tripped her with a toe kick.  
  
She turned over quickly so she wouldn't land on her back, though her knee took a good bump for her efforts.  
  
'Damn... I was hoping he'd be more on the defence,' she thought. 'Looks like I'll just have to keep countering...'  
  
She rose as he attempted an overhead punch, side stepping in and smacking him with a jab of her own, right on his chin. He snapped back and kept a short distance between them – he gave quite a surprised yet approving smile.  
  
"Well, I see you've got some strength behind you..." He commented.  
  
"You ain't seen nothing yet," she said proudly.  
  
"Oh, we'll see," he said, snapping up a quick kick towards her mid section. The guard she put up was broken and she stumbled back a few steps, barely able to push aside the roundhouse kick he'd spun into. The poor Zoanthrope tripped over her own two feet and fell over, groaning slightly at her own stupid mistake.  
  
"This is stupid," she heard Kakou mumble.  
  
"Give her a chance," Noël said in Uriko's defence.  
  
'Yeah, a chance is all I need,' she thought firmly, grabbing his in coming foot, pushing him back from her as she hopped back up to her feet.  
  
Yoshi didn't even have the seconds to recover into a new attack as the lithe girl leapt up at him with one foot bashing into his chest. The wind left his lungs as she deflected herself away in a somersault. Like a rock, he fell straight on his rear, while Uriko daintily came to land metres away.  
  
There were a few chuckles between his friends, besides Noël who curiously sat watching and Ryo who was clapping at Uriko's move until Yoshi gave him a sharp look and he stopped, cringing.  
  
"Nice acrobatics," Yoshi commented, and climbed back to his feet. "But this is a fight, not a Chinese circus."  
  
Uriko just stuck her tongue out at that, slipping back into stance with a look of determination.  
  
"I don't think she's playing around," Kazuo spoke up, earning him a dirty look like Ryo had received.  
  
With a fist tightened, he swayed low stepping forward and shot a punch at the girl, whom managed to dodge. She expected to be open for a shot on him, but he reversed the missed shot into a quick back elbow which caught to side of her face, sending her tripping and falling against the wall.  
  
She yelped, hand up to her now bruised cheek, rubbing it with the back of her hand. She felt two warm drips on her fingers and she looked down surprised at the red liquid accumulated there. She tender rubbed her sore nose, fully discovering the source of the dripping blood.  
  
She turned around in a huff, to face him.  
  
"If you bleed, you bleed," he stated simply.  
  
Rubbing away the evidence of hurt she attacked him with a low to mid kick, flipping herself over into a cartwheel kick. He was caught of guard by the first part of this chained manoeuvre and took a good pounding from her kicks. Her technique shifted to a low stance and after taking that first kick, he knelt blocked, hopping backwards as she came up with a high back kick, the move whiffing in front of him.  
  
With her gut exposed, he took the instant decision to kick her square in her mid drift and she was sent crashing face first onto the ground. Ignoring the stinging in her head, she rolled away to keep distance between them.  
  
"Getting interesting," Kakou said between the group, actually for once giving an approving smile.  
  
Wasting no time, Uriko was bounding at Yoshi, leaping into the surprised boys wake with a twisting double kick, the first lifting him while the second sent him sailing down the long length of the back alley. She came to land, feeling slightly dizzy.  
  
'Just have to ignore the throbbing,' she told herself.  
  
Behind her, the group were actually getting into the fight, revving up with cheering, commending such a move.  
  
Quite pushed by this and seeing Yoshi was now rising, Uriko confidently ran at him again, her step bouncing as she dove at him with the intent of a devastating shoulder ram. But to her horror, he dodged aside at the last second and she was sent head over heels on the concrete, taking a knock to the back of her head. She half sat up; eyes squeezed shut in pain as she rubbed the injured spot. Half the group hissed, cringing at how painful it must have been.  
  
'Ow! Just had to land on my head again!'  
  
"Stupid move," Yoshi polished on her mistake and turned around to kick her in the back.  
  
Uriko involuntarily cried out loud and leant over, one hand nursing her sore back. She wavered disorientated, turning to quickly catch him trying to affect another kick to her back. She managed to parry and her stumbled, and she weakly shot an elbow into his side, just enough to get him away from her. A weak shot from a Zoanthrope still had some impact behind it, and he had to catch his breath.  
  
'If I can pull my strength, one good shot would do it...' She leant over again, hand cupping her forehead. 'Ow...'  
  
She heard Yoshi shout something at her as he came in for a charge of his own. Blinking a little confused, her features shifted to a hardened gaze.  
  
'I've faced worse before. This is nothing. I can do it!' She assured, positioning herself shakily into a half crouch, hand positioned to keep her held firm up.  
  
One step, two step, three step – so close to her now as he was gonna careen into her with a heavy barge. Gathering strength, inwardly feeling the electricity stir, she let out a cry, all muscles tensing, flowing with strength pulled from deep down.  
  
She shot up unexpectedly, springing into her powerful jumping lance heel. Yoshi couldn't even comprehend what happened next, only see her fly at him with a stuff kick and the smacked him right in the head. Time blinked like a black screen – as if his vision had bee shattered. One minute, he was intercepting the kick, the next minute he was lying some yards away with his friends looking down over him.  
  
In reality, the shot had been so strong it had sent him sailing towards his friends, whom had to dodge as he crashed into the crates like a dead weight.  
  
Yoshi looked up at his friends, obviously in shock.  
  
"I think you lost," Mashiro commented.  
  
"I think so too," Kazuo backed up.  
  
"Did I just miss the end of the bout?" He moaned, head like a heavy brick.  
  
"Uh huh, but not by much," Kakou said, a grin engraved into his face.  
  
Yoshi sighed and looked to the boys. "Well, don't just stand there, help me up you morons!"  
  
The three sniggered but obliged, helping up to rest him against a stool. He saw Uriko knelt, cupping her head and talking to Noël and Ryo who'd gone to check on her own condition.  
  
"So... you won..." He said infirm, catching her attention through half cracked eyelids. "I suppose you want your prize?"  
  
"That's what I was fighting for," she answered, being helped up by Noël.  
  
"Right," he affirmed and nodded and Ryo, who went through the back door to the antiques shop. Moments later, he stepped back out with a long, material package, which he unravelled to reveal the staff, the exact same one in the shop – she could tell distinctly it wasn't a replica.  
  
"He was so sure he was going to win," Ryo said to her, ignoring the glare from his friend, wishing to burn a hole in his back.  
  
Uriko sighed, helping wrap it back up. "Yeah, well..."  
  
Noël frowned. "You don't seem all to joyous for actually winning."  
  
The young girl looked sadly at her. "Have had a terrible day. I've done a lot of stupid things that made me lead up to this fight..."  
  
"So, tell us," Kakou asked. "Why did this mean so much to you?"  
  
"My master had a staff like this... but I broke it because I got myself goaded into taking it from its case. And the worst thing I tried to do was hide it... glue it together and not admit my fault straight out, hoping it would never be noticed. And then I upset other people around me too, thinking that I'm acting all stupid and idiotically... and they've made me feel real bad about it, even when I try to make things up. Everything has just kept going wrong..."  
  
"Hey, we all make mistakes," Noël soothed, rubbing her shoulder.  
  
"I wish they'd understand that..." Uriko took a big sigh. "It's my sister's birthday today and I accidentally wreaked her cake. When I get home, I know I'm going to have everything crash down on me, and especially for me running off and not telling anyone where I was going." She held back the tears, not wanting to embarrass herself. "I feel so worthless..."  
  
"Things can be fixed, I'm sure about it," Noël said softly.  
  
"You wreaked a cake you say?" Everyone looked at Kakou with strange looks. "Hey! I'm not stirring the pot, I'm just asking!" He stepped towards Uriko. "And I'm just wanting to help her fix her problem."  
  
"..." Uriko was confused, uneasy when he put his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I think this, little champ, is your lucky day. You're never going to believe what my dad works as..." He looked to the others who were actually understanding what he was on about – all besides Uriko, who looked ever more baffled. He chuckled at this and led her down the alley. "Just follow me, and I'll solve one of the notches on your list of problems..."  
  
***  
  
Dinner had been over for sometime, but the tension that had carried over had not settled in the least.  
  
When Long had announced that Uriko had left the house, Mitsuko was furious. With her usual hot-headed temperament, she would have gone and grabbed her coat and gone after her daughter, but Alice told her not to, and the same to them all.  
  
"She'll come back when she's good and ready," she's said, and led them into tucking into dinner.  
  
Though, good and ready was starting to space out in to hours and the group, now converged in the lounge, were whiling over drinks, conversing, trying to continue on the party despite, but Mitsuko was on the edge of her seat, and Alice didn't feel any better. Long had stayed quiet, more then usual, still feeling to blame for Uriko running off.  
  
Yugo offered the bottle of champagne to Mitsuko after having it passed to him by Jenny. "More drink, Mrs Nonomura?"  
  
Mitsuko cradled her half-full glass, shaking her head. "I still can't believe her..."  
  
"I take that as a no then," he said and refilled his own glass.  
  
"Mother, please..." Alice sighed, covering her face with a hand tiredly.  
  
"Going against my word, running out on a birthday celebration." The elder woman seethed, hands nearly crushing the glass. "It's just so selfish of her! She doesn't realise how much anguish she's caused! Making people feel miserable, especially Long."  
  
The man in question looked up, wanting to say something, but sunk back slightly, for once hardly able to come up with something wishful to say.  
  
Shina patted his shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Don't do your nut. It's just a big misunderstanding."  
  
"She's ruined the whole party," Mitsuko growled.  
  
"Mother, really!" Alice snapped. "We've only ruined it for ourselves for being so bothered! Uriko needed space and in the end, we're just going to end up making it all worse... we've only ourselves to blame for making her act the way she is."  
  
Mitsuko looked to her daughter, but didn't open up to disagree; she just shook her head and took a sip of her drink.  
  
"Aren't you going to open your presents?" Kenji asked. She was going to straight after dinner, but things had seemed a little unsettled and presents weren't the first thing on her mind.  
  
She sighed. "Maybe in a while... not now..."  
  
"Waiting for Uriko?" He asked.  
  
Alice gave a slight nod. "Maybe. It would be better if she were here."  
  
Mitsuko sighed, keeping her voice composed. "That girl should be grateful to you. Besides all the anger we've had, you still want her to be apart of the celebration."  
  
"She's family, and we can't be angry forever," Alice said softly.  
  
Mitsuko gave a nod. "But still, I don't know what else to feel right now."  
  
"Maybe a little sorry?" Alice asked hopefully.  
  
The boar Zoanthrope was about to answer when she heard the front door open. She was up like a shot to confront her daughter with authority, but when he mouth opened, it just stayed that way, no words coming out as she stared at the battered and bruised form that was supposed to be her daughter. Outfit dirty, skin marred and blood dried on her nose, Uriko stood there wavering, with a package under each arm.  
  
"I'm home," Uriko said weakly, giving a small smile.  
  
"My lord... Uriko! What happened to you!" Everyone came to inspect the girl with Mitsuko's shouting, looking just as surprised by her rough appearance.  
  
"Long story..." She said and stepped back wobbling. "I don't feel too good."  
  
Alice was rushing to her sister, playing her nurse role once more, taking hold of her sister with a great deal of support. Yugo had come to take Uriko's other side, both leading her into the entourage of the lounge, moving aside as they let her commandeer the couch. Alice tried to take the packages from her sister, but Uriko refused to let them go, mumbling something incoherently.  
  
"I'm going to get a first aid kit." Alice shot off to the bathroom, while everyone else seemed to crowd around over the girl, especially her mother, whom was more concerned than angry now.  
  
"Are you going to explain to me why you've come back like this?" Mitsuko asked, trying not to sound too stern.  
  
Uriko took in a deep breath, wincing slightly as her back protested against little movements. "I got into a fight... on purpose. But it's not what you think... I was doing it for Master Long."  
  
The tiger Zoanthrope was bewildered by this sudden revelation to her condition and he came to kneel before the girl. "Why, Uriko? Why were you fighting for me? What has happened?"  
  
She finally relinquished the long package under her right arm to her master, whom took it with intrigue and she nodded at him to open it. Carefully, he untied the string and unravelled the thick material, revealing the beautiful crafted staff. Long was stunned.  
  
"Uriko... Where on Earth did you get this?" He inquired.  
  
"From the antiques shop up town, I saw it and I thought of you... I just wanted to do the right thing and replace what I broke," she answered.  
  
He was completely touched by such a gesture, but still, there were things he needed to know about how she actually got hold of this expensive item. "How could you afford this? It must have been costly."  
  
"It was costly... but I didn't have to pay..."  
  
Long could easily piece together what had come about for her to actually claim the staff. "And your condition is your payment, I see?"  
  
She nodded. "I'm sorry. I know that I shouldn't just go around picking fights, using the style so recklessly... but I was desperate." The long red sleeve of her outfit came to wipe tearful eyes. "All I had to do was fight the shop owner's son and I could get the staff for free."  
  
"And what did he want if you had lost?" Long queried.  
  
"I would have had to pay the full price... and get nothing... and I'm not joking when I was I would have taken years for me alone to raise that kind of money."  
  
"How could you risk it... just for a staff..." He looked from the item to her, a little hesitant with his words. "... For me?"  
  
"I didn't want you to hate me, to always think you couldn't trust me..." Uriko was choking on her words, sobs wanting to take her. "... To see me as more then a stupid child."  
  
"I never thought that," Long defended, hand on her shoulder soothingly.  
  
"But I did wonder, because one minute you're telling me how grown up and smart I am, and the next you're telling me that you've always seen me as a child, nothing more..." It was at that point she sobbed, trying to hide her face.  
  
Long was broken by her tears. She cared so much about her friends and family and what they thought, and especially valued his opinion as her teacher, yet he barely set a good example for speaking so wrongly of her. The Chinese man had to comfort the weeping girl and let her know it was all right.  
  
"I humbly apologise to you, Uriko. Seeing how much I hurt you made me realise that I was too harsh on you for your actions. But you must understand why I was truly angry with you, for what you'd done. But it gave me no reason to punish you so wrongly, when I could have been more understanding. And I could have been more trusting with you as well."  
  
Uriko managed a small smile. "I don't blame you, maybe I did deserve some of the harshness, because all I ended up doing was acting foolish with it all. I just wished that people weren't so hard on me. I can't help changing, but I want to change in all the right ways." She looked down from everyone at that point. "And I don't want any of you to feel disappointed with me anymore..."  
  
"You'll never disappoint us with the good-hearted nature you show," her master assured. "And besides, I won't let you disappoint, because I'll be there to watch over and you, and help you continue your training."  
  
Her face lit up, looking at him surprised. "You mean..."  
  
"Yes, I won't stop teaching you because of this. It was foolish to say so."  
  
Uriko sniffled and set the other package down, carefully hugging her Kenpo teacher, wincing as her bruised body ached from battle. Long, mildly surprised, responded to the hug with light rubbing her back.  
  
Mitsuko came to sit by her daughter, the girl pulling back to finally acknowledge her mother, unsure to what she was going to say.  
  
The boar Zoanthrope smiled gently. "Uriko, you know, after everything I said and the way I acted, I'm still so proud of you. You do truly do understand responsibility, and you always seem to do the right thing in the end. Even though I don't like you fighting, it took great courage and love to do what you did, a selfless act that really shows that you will do anything for your friends and family. I'm sorry it took some outside good deeds to actually make me forgiving, I should have done so before."  
  
"It's okay, mother, I forgive you," Uriko said and let her mother hug her carefully, not to aggravate her injuries more.  
  
Alice came back with the first aid kit and knelt down before her sister, but Uriko stopped her from applying treatment, instead, turning her sister's attention to the second package.  
  
"That's for you," she said. "Open it."  
  
Alice frowned and leaned over Uriko to bring the square package in front of her. She removed the lid and gasped, eyes glittering with tears. A beautiful pink icing cake sat before her.  
  
"Oh, Uriko," the rabbit Zoanthrope choked with happiness. "Where did you get this from?"  
  
"A friend gave it to me free of charge for my victory," she said with a smile. "It was a very lucky coincidence that his father was a baker. And now, you've got a birthday cake again."  
  
Alice was sobbing herself now. "You're the best little sister anyone could ask for..."  
  
Uriko blushed and jumped as her sister hugged her, though, she starting yelping in pain from the bruises and Alice pulled back, blushing in embarrassment as she'd briefly forgot the injuries.  
  
"Sorry," she whispered and squeezed her sister's hand instead. "Now, let me tend to those injuries and then we'll deal with the cake."  
  
"You're a brave girl, Mademoiselle Uriko," Gado insisted proudly.  
  
"I agree, you did a good thing," Kenji inputted too.  
  
Uriko blushed, sitting quite proudly there as Alice attended to her somewhat honourable battle wounds. With there not being any serious injury, and nothing time wouldn't cure, Uriko didn't much attention and instead settled quite comfy on the couch as Mitsuko set the cake ahead of the group.  
  
Alice had disappeared from the room for a moment, but when she came back, Uriko chuckled when she saw the freaky sheep candle with her.  
  
"The sheep survived," Alice said with a grin.  
  
"Aren't freaky sheep affected by birthday curses?" Yugo playfully asked.  
  
"Nope, just freaky rabbits," Alice said with a wink and set the sheep on top of the cake. Mitsuko lit the candle, stepping back so Alice could take her head position at the front of the cake. She paused for a minute, looking about.  
  
"What's the matter?" Shina asked. "Waiting for a bomb to go off or something?"  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised if one did," she answered, waited a few more seconds then smiled assured that nothing else would ruin the moment. She turned to her sister with a big smile. "Thanks, Uriko. You've really come through for me. And I told you that it would all be alright in the end."  
  
Uriko just nodded, hoping she wasn't blushing too badly.  
  
"I don't sing happy birthday if you must know," Jenny said.  
  
"That's because you're a miserable old bat, and I can say that with a literal meaning," Shina said with a smirk.  
  
"Oh, what does it matter!" Alice said; stopping the argument before it started. One good blow assured the candle went out and the audience clapped for her accomplishment.  
  
"Did you make a wish?" Mitsuko asked.  
  
"I'm done with wishing, I've got everything I want," Alice said, motioning to everything and everyone around her. "Now, if nobody minds, let's get down to presents!"  
  
***  
  
The rest of the party went along smoothly, no more arguments ensued and the tension in the air was gone. Uriko, with the help of her sister, changed from her fighting outfit back into her party clothes and settled nicely on the couch next to her Kenpo master as she recovered, though still joining in on the lighter activities of the evening.  
  
Tiredness eventually did take its toll on the poor girl and leaning back against Long, she began to drift off to sleep. The Chinese man looked down at the peaceful girl and smiled.  
  
She was the most intriguing young woman he'd ever met. So playful and always caring, out to make things right when wronged and had a strong will that could lead her to do anything. He saw such potential is his student.  
  
Watching her, he began to realise how much of an influence she'd had on his life. Saved him from the cold, darkness that had taken his heart. Her loving nature had brought him back to civilisation – he'd always be grateful to her for doing that.  
  
Sometimes, he really saw Uriko as a daughter, looking up to him, always caring and not letting other people tell her different about him. They cared for each other dearly, like a family would. Ever since he lost his sister, he'd truly needed someone like Uriko to really fill the void that was created by Lin Li's death.  
  
'You'll always be something special my innocent friend.' Long petted her hair lightly, so not to disturb her slumber.  
  
"Hey, Long," a quiet voice met his ear and he turned to see Shina leaning on the arm of the couch.  
  
"We best be off, it's getting pretty late," she said, indicating to the clock. It was going on for one o'clock and they had quite a way back home.  
  
Long agreed. "Yes, I think it's best we leave now." He barely nudged the slumbering Uriko as he got up, but still she awoke when she realised her living pillow was leaving and she sat up. "No, don't get up," he said, squeezing her shoulder gently. "You rest. I shall see you on Sunday then as usual."  
  
"Yes, master," she answered, stretching out with yawn, really ready to drift back off to sleep.  
  
Long joined Shina as they joined Jenny and Gado at the door, whom were also heading off.  
  
"Thank you for coming," Alice said, giving Long a hug, in which he returned. He'd never really been into touching people a lot with hugs and such a like, but being around people like Alice and Uriko had adapted him into the way of things.  
  
"It was a pleasure," he appreciated.  
  
"Come on, taxi's waiting," Jenny said impatiently.  
  
"We'll walk," Shina insisted, pulling on Long's arm as she exited. He wasn't going to resist her tugging when she was in one of her moods.  
  
Gado sighed, ignoring his daughter and Jenny and turn to kiss Alice's hand. "A most interesting birthday. Thank you for inviting us."  
  
"You're welcome, and have a safe journey home." She escorted them out, waving as they finally departed her company and shut out the cold night air with a satisfied sigh.  
  
Mitsuko was clearing away pots, turning to Yugo and Kenji, whom were looking a bit miffed about something. "Is there a problem?" She asked.  
  
"Of all the time for the car battery to die," Yugo said angrily.  
  
"Oh well, stay over the night, I don't mind," the elder Nonomura offered.  
  
"If you're sure?" Kenji asked.  
  
"Of course! You're always welcome!" She insisted and sighed. "Well, I suppose I've done as much as I can do for tonight. I'm too tired now. I'll finish the rest in the morning."  
  
"Alright, mother, you go to bed, we'll see if we can't help out a bit," Alice said.  
  
"You're a star, my girl," Mitsuko praised and headed for the stairs. "I shall see you all in the morning. A big breakfast is in store."  
  
"Looking forward to it," Alice called after her and turned to Yugo. "Be a dear and give me a hand with the washing up."  
  
"Well, if you insist," he said in a joking manor, letting himself be dragged into the kitchen. Kenji smirked and turned to head back into the lounge where Uriko was sat in the same seat Long had occupied before.  
  
"Tired?" He asked.  
  
"Oh for sure!" She said and was suddenly grabbing him, putting her cheek against his chest. "And now I have a nice pillow to rest on. Good night!"  
  
The girl settled, leaving Kenji a little shocked at first, but he didn't complain. Instead, he decided to join her in the sleeping notion and settled himself into a comfortable position and closed his eyes, placing an arm around Uriko comfortingly.  
  
'A brave warrior deserves her rest,' Kenji thought proudly of his friend and drifted to sleep, glad to actually be in her happy company once more.  
  
It was sometime later that Yugo and Alice peeked in on the sleeping couple, the latter going to retrieve a blanket to settle over the two. She slid the door to the lounge shut and turned to her beau.  
  
"Aren't they cute?" She muttered softly.  
  
He grinned. "I didn't know my brother could be so cuddly."  
  
"He does care about my sister a lot," Alice admitted. "And I'm glad. She needs a friend like him to stand by her." Yugo simply nodded in agreement. The rabbit Zoanthrope stretched her arms up behind her. "Well, mother will surprised with what little work she'll have to contend with in the morning. I think we deserve a good nights sleep for our efforts... and the fact to be cuddled up to my favourite wolf will be oh so rewarding as well."  
  
He grinned. "Yeah, I'd like to cuddle up to me too!"  
  
She whacked his shoulder. "Yugo..."  
  
"Maybe you could even wear one the sexy nighties Jenny got you..." Yugo said drove at.  
  
Alice gave him a kinky gaze. "And I suppose you'd want me to wear the edible underwear too?"  
  
"Only if you're up for it?" Yugo said, bringing his lover to him. "Birthday's over, curse gone, but our party will still continue."  
  
"I'll be in bed till midday at this rate!" She said, hands locking behind his back, pressed right up to him lovingly.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure nobody will mind," he whispered and gave her a soft peck on the lips, which followed up with a passionate embrace.  
  
"I love you, my big softy..." She whispered, only stepping apart to lead him up the stairs towards her bedroom.  
  
End of Part 3  
  
A/N: And I hope you all enjoyed the final part of my story! I want to thank all those who took the time to read it, especially Tiger5913 – thank you for your lovely long reviews! 


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